Beet Chips from The Urban Poser
Everyone knows about our love affair with kale chips. And now BEET CHIPS? Sign us up! This recipe is just in time to make with the lovely local beets from Gundermann Acres.
>> Get the Recipe.
We’re all about frugality here at UA! You spend your hard-earned money on our co-op style produce, and we want to help you stretch your dollars as far as possible.
So here’s an important tip – SAVE YOUR STEMS, SKINS, AND OTHER PRODUCE SCRAPS! They are perfect for making easy, homemade veggie stock.
From TheKitchn.com…
We keep a big sealable bag in our freezer where we can throw vegetable odds and ends: vegetables that have wilted beyond saving, the green parts from leeks, trimmings from carrots, and so on. Once this bag gets full, we use the contents to make broth.
If you’ve never made your own stock before, you’re in for a treat. With a short amount of prep time, you just let it simmer for hours and hours, and your entire house fills with the rich, comforting smell. Who wouldn’t want that?
Here’s an easy recipe for homemade veggie stock…
Image: thekitchn.com
>> Get the Recipe.
I find a lot of joy knowing that I’m getting something different each week. Variety is the spice of life, right? My best piece of advice is take this opportunity to cook at home! So many people are sick and tired because they eat out all the time. Cooking at home doesn’t have to be hard or time consuming! Keep it simple! My philosophy is ‘cook once, eat twice.’ Left-overs rock! ~ Kim Wilson
It’s time to get to know more of your fellow Urban Acres members! (see how to become a member here.)
Today, we’d like to introduce you to Kim Wilson, a Holistic Health Coach who is a part of our Uptown location. She’s also a member of our volunteer produce sort team!
Kim Wilson
Kim, tell us a little about yourself.
I’m 36 years old and live in Uptown. I currently own my own advertising sales company, but I am beginning a new business as a Holistic Health Coach. I will be working with people on how to reach their health goals, including stress reduction, increasing energy, losing weight and improving their confidence. My interest in health and nutrition began 6 years ago when my mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer. She didn’t have anyone to take care of her, so I became her primary caregiver. I read every book on cancer/diet/nutrition that I could get my hands on. We immediately switched to all organic foods and started juicing and making green smoothies daily! Although my mom lost her battle with cancer last year, she remains my inspiration & light to motivate and help others live a more healthy lifestyle!
This year, I decided to increase my current health & nutrition knowledge by enrolling in the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. I am not only learning to improve my life, I am also receiving very detailed and careful instruction on how to coach others around food & lifestyle choices. It’s an exciting time!
What inspired you to become a part of Urban Acres?
I learned about Urban Acres when I was searching for an organic turkey for Thanksgiving a few years ago! I finally decided it was time to become a member of Urban Acres when my weekly produce expenditures at Whole Foods were getting obscene!! I love the fact that Urban Acres is affordable, that they support local farmers (it’s not easy to find local AND organic produce) and that they are just the nicest people on the planet!
When and why did you decide to start eating real, wholesome food?
My journey with real wholesome food began in 2006 when my mom was diagnosed with cancer. There was just so much research that pointed to eating real food like fruits and vegetables and cancer prevention, so we jumped right in. We became vegan and ate a mostly raw food diet. My mom went into remission for 5 years, I believe in large part to her nutrient dense diet. Over the years my diet has evolved and I am no longer vegan, but I lean towards a plant based diet full of freshly squeezed green juice and smoothies. I enrolled in the Institute of Integrative Nutrition this year and will begin my practice this Fall. My vision is to help change the way the way Americans eat and to have a positive impact on people who want to change their diet & lifestyle to prevent disease & cancer. You can check out my website or my Facebook page.
Kim sorting produce
What is your favorite part about the “co-op style” produce?
I love that everything in the bin is IN SEASON! It is so important to eat produce in the months that Mother Nature intended to provide it to us. I also volunteer and help sort the produce so it’s extra special knowing I helped fill the bins with all of the delicious produce!
What’s your favorite produce tip/trick?
I always hold off on going to the grocery store the week that I pick up my Urban Acres bin of goodies. That way my fridge is stocked with nothing but fresh vegetables and I have no choice but to use it all! I also save my produce bags from Whole Foods and use them to bag my Urban Acres produce so it stays fresh longer!
If/when you do eat out, what is one of your favorite restaurants in Dallas?
My favorite restaurant in Dallas is Spiral Diner. I always order Nachos Supremo and dessert (usually some sort of baked goodie)!! Company Cafe and Kozy Kitchen are also great options because they use a lot of local products.
Do you grow any food at home? If so, what’s growing in your garden right now?
I wish that I grew my own food at home. I live in an apartment building in Uptown that isn’t ideal for gardening! I did take an organic gardening class with my mom a few years ago. It was heaven. So much fun. I helped my mom with her above ground garden and she grew cucumbers, romaine, tomatoes and kale pretty successfully in her backyard! Keeping the critters away can be a full time job, but well worth it (a special shout out to “Garden Inspirations” – they are a mother/daughter team in Waxahachie that teach the class and they are amazing)!
What is your favorite fruit? Favorite veggie? Why?
My favorite fruit are goji berries because they are an incredible super food. They are probably the most nutritionally dense berry-fruit on Earth. Goji berries are a complete protein source, contain 21 trace minerals, promote longevity and healthy hormones, improve vision and boost the immune system!
My favorite veggie is kale. Dark leafy greens are cancer fighting and full of vitamins & minerals. I’m really a fan of any dark, leafy green. There are so many benefits to eating them such as blood purification, cancer prevention, improved circulation, strengthened immune system, promotion of healthy intestinal flora, lifted spirit and elimination of depression, improved liver, gall bladder and kidney function and cleared congestion (especially in the lungs by reducing mucus).
What is your favorite site to get recipes from?
I get most of my recipes from books actually. Is that totally lame of me?? Ha! I buy a new book every week on Amazon. I just have an intense thirst for any and all health & wellness information. My favorites lately are the The Blood Sugar Solution by Dr. Mark Hyman, Superfoods by David Wolfe and Super Immunity by Dr. Joel Furhman. All three of these books have amazing recipes, plus are packed full of great advice for people that want to live a healthier lifestyle.
What would you say to inspire other members who are still trying to figure out this “co-op style produce” thing?
A co-op is an amazing thing. Yes, it is different that going to a regular grocery store and picking out your own produce. But I find a lot of joy knowing that I’m getting something different each week. Variety is the spice of life, right? I certainly know that your body gets tired of being fed the same old thing, day after day! My best piece of advice is take this opportunity to cook at home! So many people are sick and tired because they eat out all the time. Cooking at home doesn’t have to be hard or time consuming! Keep it simple! My philosophy is “cook once, eat twice.” Left-overs rock!
Please share your current favorite “real food recipe” with us.
My favorite Green Smoothie recipe is from a book called The Beauty Detox Solution by Kimberly Snyder. It is called the “Glowing Green Smoothie” (or GGS for short). I lived on this smoothie when my mom was in and out of the hospital (and I had no time to cook) because it delivers so many nutrients and is very filling. I make a big batch in the morning and drink it all day long! I always tweak it according to what is in our bin each week, so here is the version based on this past weekend’s pick-up!
Glowing Green Smoothie
(yields 64 ounces)
1 ½- 2 cups very cold, filtered water
3 cups spinach, chopped
1 cup organic green kale, chopped
2 cups organic green lettuce, chopped
2 cups organic rainbow chard, chopped
2 stalks of organic celery
1 organic apple, cored and chopped
1 organic pear, cored and chopped
1 organic banana
1–2 Tbs. fresh organic lemon juice
Handful of cilantro (optional)
1/4 inch of ginger, chopped (optional)
Blend spinach, kale, chard and lettuce with water on low. Then add chopped celery, apple and pear and blend on medium. Lastly, add the banana and lemon juice and blend on high! A Vitamix blender works the best, but any blender will do!
Thanks so much, Kim! We are so glad to have you as a part of Urban Acres!
This is going to be a fun event this weekend! We’re all about the local chickens!
A Peep at the Coops, Urban Coop Tour
Sunday May 20th, rain or shine
11:00 – 5:00
Headquarters: Stonewall Jackson Elementary
5828 East Mockingbird Lane
Dallas, TX 75206
This year 13 eggs-traordinary backyard coops will be on the self-guided tour through the area surrounding White Rock Lake. Tour maps can be purchased for $5 at headquarters, and along with the map visitors will receive a goody bag packed full of magazines, coupons, and other valuable information and giveaways. Last year, there were 2000 visitors and a great many who lingered at headquarters (the Stonewall Garden) for all the great things happening there. Many just enjoyed the garden, but also the 4-H chickens, chicken care seminars, and of course the garden itself.
They will also have vendors, like the Texas Honeybee Guild and Texas Worm Ranch. Enter a raffle to win your very own mobile chicken coop! This year, a couple food trucks will be on site for really great eating too. It is a really fun event that attracts folks from all over, not just East Dallas!
For more information, visit www.apeepatthecoops.org
Don’t Waste Your Celery Tops!
Local celery with lots of greens
The local celery from Gundermann Acres in this weekend’s co-op style produce shares has lots of leafy tops attached – fun! Don’t waste your celery tops! There is so much you can make with them.
You might find that local organic celery is thinner, more flavorful and fragrant than your typical grocery store celery. Like many other bitter greens, the celery leaves sweeten with cooking.
Here are some ideas…
- Homemade vegetable stock
- Potato, Garlic, and Celery Top Soup
- Romaine Salad with Celery Tops, Dates, Avocado, Cucumber, and Raw Almonds
- Rough chop and mix into salads
- Make Bloody Marys
- Chop and use as a pizza topping
- Chop and sauté with onion, then add rice and broth to make a rice pilaf
- Add to soups, stews, casseroles, etc.
What did YOU do with your celery tops?
Over 70% Local Produce This Weekend
Our team is once again traveling around Texas today, picking up all kinds of local produce for the co-op style produce shares this weekend. The share will be over 70% local!
Local radishes ready to be sorted
Here are some of the LOCAL produce items planned* to be in this weekend’s co-op style produce shares…there are several more items, but this is just a sampling!
- Pink Radishes from Morrison Organic Farm in Cleburne, TX
- Toscano Kale from Morrison Organic Farm in Cleburne, TX
- Zucchini & Yellow Squash from Morrison Organic Farm in Cleburne, TX
- Beets from Gundermann Acres in Wharton County, TX
- Collard Greens from Gundermann Acres in Wharton County, TX
- Celery from Gundermann Acres in Wharton County, TX
- Cabbage from Gundermann Acres in Wharton County, TX
- Cucumbers from Gundermann Acres in Wharton County, TX
- Fennel from Gundermann Acres in Wharton County, TX
- Red Kale from Eden Creek Farm in Blooming Grove, TX
*When working with fresh produce, availability can sometimes change last-minute. We do our best to let you know what’s coming ahead of time, but sometimes things do change, especially when working with local farmers. Thanks for your understanding!
Yes, that’s 10 local items – so excited!
Here are some photos…
Local cucumbers being loaded onto the truck
Local cukes
Local cabbage being loaded onto the truck
Local zukes from Cleburne, TX
Local fennel from Wharton County, TX
Local celery with lots of greens!
Thank you for being a part of Urban Acres and supporting Texas farmers and local, organic produce! We ♥ you.
What the Produce Sort Looks Like
Here’s a video of our volunteer team sorting the co-op style produce shares yesterday morning. This “dance” happens every Friday morning and is one of the most fun parts about what we do!
Notice the first step before adding produce to the bin is steam cleaning it with our trusty Italian steam cleaner machine, who we’ve lovingly named Giuseppe. Yes, Giuseppe disinfects thousands of bins every month, freeing them from dog hair, moldy leaves, and all other kinds of “gifts” some people leave us in the bins! The best thing is that this cleaning method is totally sustainable – zero cleaners or chemicals of any kind are used. Just good ‘ole fashioned steam.
