Blog Archives

Tucumcari Cheese

7/30/2018

This is Chuck Krause, owner and operator of Tucumari Mountain Cheese Factory, located 2 1/2 hours east of Albuquerque. Originally from Wisconsin, Chuck is a fourth generation cheese maker who has been perfecting the art of cheese making for over 40 years. We have Chuck (and his partner Art Schaap) to thank for providing us with some of the most delicious cheese on that market that is made here in New Mexico. While they're a small factory, they distribute their feta cheese on a national level - if you haven't tried it yet you should, there's a reason people all over the country are craving it. In 2008, Tucumcari's feta took 2nd place in the Biennial World Champion Cheese Competition!

We're lucky to have such amazing cheeses made in our own state. Chuck's is committed to providing New Mexicans (and beyond) with outstanding cheese made with high quality ingredients. There is a wealth of food being produced in this beautiful state, and we want to connect with and farmers and folks like Chuck as much as we can in order to strengthen our local food communities! Check back in on the first distribution in September for another local grocery bonus item and to learn who produced it and what they do!

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New Next Week!

7/25/2018

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One of the primary reasons we decided to place Meal Kits on hold was so that we could better focus on our Weekly Shares. We want to continue to support as many local farms and local artisans as we can, which is why we have decided to include a local grocery item on the first distribution of each month. We will feature one local item in your Weekly Share that will take place of the usual produce bonus item. For example, you might see things like local cheese from the Tucumcari Cheese Factory, bread from Fano Bread Company, eggs from Galloping Grace Youth Ranch, corn products from the Santa Ana Mill, or tortillas from the Santa Fe Tortilla Company.

Not only will we be including items that we are already offering as On the Side options, but we hope to include items that we are not currently offering. We are striving to develop new relationships with new local businesses, farmers and artisans. We want to strengthen our local food network and this is our first step in that action plan! Check in next week to see which local grocery item we have chosen!

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What's Happening with Meal Kits...

7/18/2018

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After lots of delicious recipes, staff time and deliberation we have decided to stop offering Mogro Meal Kits. We began the Meal Kit pilot one year ago and we have learned so much! We didn't start the program with the intention of stopping, but things have naturally evolved in this direction. July 25th will be the last Meal Kit distribution. We want to apologize to those who came to love them and integrate them into their weekly cooking routines.

We began this pilot program with a clear mission: to provide locally-based, culturally-minded quick and healthy replacements to fast food cooked at home. We’ve found out that developing new recipes each week and individually sourcing perfectly fresh and ripe ingredients would be better suited for a larger company. Being only 3 people strong, it was pretty tough to compete. Plus, we weren't able to source enough of our Meal Kit ingredients from local farmers and artisans because of seasonal constraints and quantities.

We expect this to be a good change. We’re glad we stuck with our commitment to pilot our Meal Kits for a full year. We see things like this as contributing to a larger movement of folks who are experimenting with all sorts of ways to make healthy food affordable and practical. We’ve also learned things that will be helpful to us, like how to better put together recipes based on what our farmers have. This will be useful as we step into an exciting new phase. So, after this month, we’re going to be focusing our time and love on 3 things that we haven’t been able to over the last year:

Doubling down on our outreach and relationships with our partners. This means spending more time with health care workers, teachers, wellness coordinators, and community members, learning in a more first-hand way what’s making an impact. It also means spending more time with our farmers and developing easier ways to get food from them to you.

Creating flexible and usable tool kits for the Weekly Shares that expand on the idea of our weekly recipes, giving ideas and options for all sorts of ways to transform raw, healthy building-blocks into tasty and filling meals and snacks.

Bringing on more ready-to-eat local products like tamales, burritos, salsas, sauces, and jams. We think this could be a great alternative to Meal Kits, giving options for quick, healthy meals. Heat up a healthy frozen tamale to go with your pintos and salad!

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Pattypan Squash

7/9/2018

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Last distribution it was Kohlrabi, this week it's pattypan squash! What "weird" veggie are we going to throw at you next?!

These cuties are sort of deceiving at first glance. Their shape appears to be more similar to a cold weather squash (think acorn & sweet dumpling squash), which tend to be a little bit more rigid on the outside and require some extra work in the prep department. Patty pans, however, are a variety of summer squash. They have tender flesh, and are mild and sweet, much like a zucchini or yellow squash.

Pattypan comes in yellow, green and white varieties. Its name was inspired by a pan for baking patties, which apparently had unmistakable scalloped edges, much like the pattypan.

Don't plan to use them right away?

Toss them in an extra plastic bag (if it's ziplock leave a little opening so they can breathe a little) and place them in the drawer in your fridge. They should keep for 4-5 days!

You can also blanch and freeze them to preserve the taste of summer!

In a bowl large enough to fit all of your pattypan slices, fill with ice and water. Start by removing stems and butts from pattyapans and slice into rounds. Bring a pot of water to a boil and gently place slices into water for 3 minutes. When 3 minutes are up, use a fork to transfer squash slices into ice bath to stop cooking process. When squash has cooled let it drain and place in a ziplock bag, being sure to remove all extra air and moisture. Place in freezer and use within 6 months to 1 year. They make a great pick-me-up side dish come February when you're missing summer!

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