Welcome to Week 3 of Island Health’s Farm Stand!

Did anyone else devour their pint of Schuh Farms strawberries while driving home from the Farm Stand last week?! Because of the cold, wet weather, Schuh farmers left the berries in the field longer, meaning they were extra-large, juicy, and dark red. We are so lucky here in the Skagit Valley!

When berries are picked ripe, they have a shorter shelf life because of their softer flesh. A good way to extend storage for strawberries is to give them a little attention immediately after you bring them home. Take all strawberries out of the paper pint containers and group into two categories: more ripe and less ripe. Gently place less ripe berries into a container and refrigerate unwashed. Take the riper berries, gently and quickly rinse under running water and lay on a towel to dry completely. Place in secondary container trying not to crush them by layering too much. You can refrigerate ripe berries or leave on the counter for easy snacking, but eat the riper berries first, ideally the same day! Always refrigerate cut berries within two hours for food safety purposes.

Romaine is a large, sturdy leaf head lettuce excellent for chopped salads. A chopped salad is characterized by all salad components being cut up into similar sized pieces. Green leaf and mesclun are softer varieties that do not provide the crunch needed for this type of recipe. Try making a Southwest chopped salad this week by combining your favorite taco ingredients such as: grilled marinated chicken, black beans, tomatoes, green onions, corn, and avocado together with the romaine. Salsa is a low calorie condiment that works well as a salad dressing mixed with a little sour cream or plain yogurt.

With the weather warming, smoothies are back on the menu! Spinach is an ideal green for smoothies, however, because of its oxalate content, it is important to avoid eating spinach every single day if you are at risk for kidney stones. Check out this smoothie recipe formula for tips on creating a healthy and delicious smoothie every time: https://islandhealth.org/healthy-recipes/foolproof-smoothie-formula/

This Week’s Participating Vendors
• Schuh Farms will be providing their wide selection of Skagit grown produce, berries, flowers, honey, and cookies as well as choice items from family farms in Eastern Washington.
• Water Tank Bakery is back by popular demand with their artisan breads and cookies made using craft techniques and Washington grown Cairnspring Mill flour.
• Dog Island Mushrooms grows a variety of culinary mushrooms on Guemes Island and will bring mushrooms by the pound and mushroom growing kits.

Weekly Fresh-to-Go (FTG) Bags

Fresh-to-Go Bag Contents for Tuesday, June 21:
• Romaine lettuce
• Strawberries (1 pint)
• Spinach
• Red onion
• A surprise!

How to Order Fresh-to-Go Bags
• Send email to farmstand@islandhospital.org by noon on Monday, June 20th to indicate you want the current FTG bag. Please include a contact phone number (prefer cell phone) when placing your order.
• Pick up FTG bag from the Schuh Farms booth at Farm Stand on Tuesday, June 21st, 11:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
• Please pick up your Fresh-to-Go bag by 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, unless you make a special arrangement when replying to this email.
• Pay at the Farm Stand.

If you pre-paid for the entire season there is no need to respond to this email, we have you on the list!

Thank you,
Island Health Employee Wellness