Greenling!

Look what I found on my doorstep today!

My first Greenling box!

Thanks to a referral from a friend, I got a great discount on my first box, filled with organic produce from local farms.

Escarole, Arugula, Red Leaf lettuce, amaranth, sweet onions, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes, elephant garlic, and blueberries.

I don't know what time it arrived (my delivery is scheduled from 2-9pm), but when I got home at 6.30 the produce was cold and looked great.

The box included recipes for the ingredients which is a nice touch, and I'll try to use the recipes when they accommodate the whole30 program.

My favorite touch is the list of ingredients, with the storage suggestions! I was going to leave the onions on the counter and not refrigerate them until I saw this guide. Most of us probably don't know the best/proper way to store fruit and veggies for longevity. The Greenling website offers a great Produce Storage Guide.

Out of curiousity I did a quick Google search on the nutritional benefit of amaranth. Also I was curious to read about eating the leaves and stems because I only ever knew about the grain.

According to the Natural Farmacy, Amaranth is "the perfect food for weight loss, it makes you feel full longer, and helps the body to process fats. Drinking the fresh juice of amaranth leaves as well as applying directly to hair has been used as a long time remedy for hair loss and premature graying. Native to the Americas, where the Aztecs considered the grain sacred and thought it brought immortality."

This is awesome: According to Linda Runyan, and this article on Your Edible Landscape,

Amaranth is known for its high protein count, vitamins, and minerals, and just a half cup will give a person immense energy. All part of the plant are edible including the seed, stem, and leaves. The plant is a perfect substitute for lettuce and spinach, freezes well, is super high in calcium, AND, the seeds can be ground up and made into a flour.

Awesome! I wonder if
Dr. Oz knows about this....? I'm excited to try it.
Amaranth tastes pretty great, and the purple leaves are beautiful. We made a salad tonight with the amaranth and arugula (both from My Father's Farm), kale, escarole (from Acadian Family Farm), and blueberries (from Berry Best Farm).

Topped with some feta and Lime Riesling Olive Oil this salad was a big hit!

Just for fun, here's a picture of Grady enjoying the super sweet blueberries, from Berry Best Farm.

Did you get this week's Greenling Local box? What did you think?

Interested in trying Greenling? Here's a referral link for you!