Vegetables

Recipe: Three Bean Salad with Charred Scallions & Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette

March 18, 2020 Food, Plant Based, Recipes, Vegetables

If you’re like anyone these days, your pantry is full o’ beans (and pasta, and rice, and…). Now that you’ve got the beans, what are you going to do with them?

We’ve got at least one tasty solution—this three-bean recipe by our Head Chef Andrew Werblin! With a flavorful smoked tomato vinaigrette and charred scallions for a little kick, you won’t make this one just once.

Ingredients

Bean Salad

1 can Pinto Bean, rinsed and drained

1 can Black Bean, rinsed drained

1 can White Beans, rinsed and drained

Or substitute above beans with 1/3 lb your choice of 3 beans, simmered until tender

1/4 cup Caper

1/2 cup Scallion, charred, sliced

1/2 cup Cucumber, seeded and diced

1/2 cup Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette

1 ea Tomato, diced small

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 ea Shallot, minced

1 tsp Liquid Smoke

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

1 tbsp Honey

1 tsp Worcestershire

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

2 sprigs Parsley, rough chopped

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

Let’s Get Cooking!

Toss scallions with 1 tbsp olive oil. Heat a saute pan over high heat and saute until browned. Place all ingredients in a bowl together. Whisk to mix and slowly whisk in olive oil. Enjoy!

Produce Pick: A Different Side of Rhubarb

March 12, 2020 Farmtotable, Plant Based, Vegetables

(Photo: E.G. Richter Farm INC.)

Most folks think of rhubarb as a warm weather phenomenon, and they’re not exactly wrong. Rhubarb as it grows in the wild is a spring crop, so why do we have it in Provisions—a store that prides itself on seasonality—weeks before spring even officially begins?

As it turns out, hothouse rhubarb is a delicacy we’re lucky to get. EG Richter Family Farm in Puyallup, WA, just outside of Seattle, commits to the backbreaking work it takes to make it happen. The plants spend two summers outdoors storing energy, after which Richter’s farmers dig up root systems that can weigh a hundred pounds. Once it’s re-planted in dark, 55°F hothouses, things get going in a hurry. Tricked into spring growth, the rhubarb grows so fast that farmers swear they can hear it popping, and the darkness means the rhubarbs retain a prized crimson color, with yellow leaves. They’re even more tender than traditional field rhubarb!

Whether you’re itching to make early rhubarb pie, or just want to try Tim Richter’s favorite sour snack of rhubarb stalks with sugar, you’re going to want to hurry in and grab some of this remarkable rhubarb before it’s gone!

Need it delivered, as a precaution or otherwise? We offer same-day gloved home delivery in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill and by van delivery elsewhere. If an item is unavailable online, call us at (718) 233-2700 and we’ll make it happen for you.

The Women Who Make Us Grape: Laura Rose

February 28, 2020 Farmtotable, Featured Farmer, Local, Plant Based, Spotlight, Vegetables

Throughout Women’s History Month, we’re featuring some of the women who make the Greene Grape the amazing place it is. The Greene Grape family of businesses is woman-powered, both historically and currently, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t shine a well-deserved spotlight on at least a few of these grape women.

This week, we’re chatting with our Produce Buyer, Laura Rose Dailey. Laura Rose and her department make sure anyone’s first impression of Provisions is a beautiful one as they step through our front door! With her agricultural background and passion for growing green things, she’s a perfect fit for the job, and we couldn’t do it without her.

What got you into the world of agriculture and produce?

I took a course on coffee ecologies and livelihoods in college and had the opportunity to travel to El Salvador to spend some time with the coffee farmers there. That experience rocked my world, and truly opened my eyes to the injustices of our food system. A few years later I decided I wanted to learn how to grow food, and took a farming apprenticeship at Amber Waves, a mixed vegetable production farm on the East End of Long Island. It was on that land where I fell in love with farming and spent the next four years (plus two winters on the other side of the equator!) growing vegetables.

What’s been part of your experience as a woman working in agriculture?

At Amber Waves, it often felt like we were in a bubble all our own, being owned and staffed by women. On the other hand, the people delivering our farm equipment, seeds, and other necessary items were usually men, and some of them broke that bubble with their questions. “Who’s really in charge here? Are you really farmers?” It was a reminder that a farm run by women is considered an anomaly, but we were never discouraged. Owners Amanda Merrow and Katie Baldwin showed me how far women could go in agriculture—I really look up to them.

What’s your favorite produce?

I can’t pick just one! I have three. Radishes: The feeling and sight of pulling a bright red, snackable root out of the ground is so satisfying and beautiful. Also, they’re a fast growing crop (~40 days seed to harvest) AKA almost instant gratification. Baby greens: Another fast growing crop, and there’s nothing like a salad made with crispy flavorful right outta the ground greens! And finally, eggplant: As a farmer on Long Island, growing eggplant is a lot of work because of the Colorado Potato Beetle. This pest feeds on the young tender leaves, and if left alone will completely destroy the plant and therefore the crop. For farmers, this meant that every other day, we’d have to check each plant on every leaf for signs of infestation. If we managed to beat the bugs and have a successful eggplant crop, we were eating eggplant parm for weeks. 🙂

We’ve Got Elote Time On Our Hands

July 18, 2019 Food, Grocery, Local, Recipes, Tastings, Vegetables

While there are plenty of foods that are quintessentially summer, none are quite the simple pleasure of corn on the cob. Whether grilled in their own leaves or roasted hard over charcoal, enjoyed on its own merits or slathered in butter and seasoning, it’s an endlessly customizable meal; it’s never too hot for an ear of corn. Angela’s elote salad recipe brings a multicultural twist on a classic with K-Pop Kimchi Mayo, our new favorite condiment!

Ingredients:
6 ears of corn
1/4 cup K-Pop Kimchi Mayo Sauce
4 oz. cotija cheese, crumbled
1 bunch cilantro, chopped fine
Lime juice (to taste)
Salt (to taste)

Instructions:
Heat an oiled grill to medium-high heat and roast ears of corn for about 7 minutes, or until kernels are tender and all sides are roasted. Chop the kernels from their cobs, then combine and incorporate all other ingredients in a large bowl. Serve immediately, and enjoy your elote!

Raising a racket over this season’s squash!

October 12, 2018 Farmtotable, heirloom, Local, Vegetables

The fall harvest is here, and we’ve got a few tricks and treats up our sleeves. This season’s bounty of squash may feel like a ‘been-there-done-that’ kind of thing, but just wait until you try our newest petite treat – the Honeynut Squash!

Honeynut is a fairly new variety of squash that’s been around just under a decade having been bred specifically for a sweeter more versatile taste than its cousin the Butternut, not to mention its loads easier to manage in the kitchen than a more traditional squash! So who do we have to thank for this small miracle? Chef Dan Barber, of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns fame, approached a group of breeders from Cornell University with the challenge to make a squash that tasted better and didn’t require a machete in the kitchen, and so the journey to make this little delight a reality got put into motion.

Honeynuts are popping up in a lot of local grocers’ and farmers’ markets where sellers boast its smooth texture and sweet yet nutty flavor, but it’s not just the taste that’s getting people’s attention. The little squash doesn’t have to be peeled, which is a huge time saver. They also have 3x the amount of beta-carotene as well as being a great source of vitamin A, making them easy on the eyes.

Afraid of being left out because you don’t have a raging sweet tooth? Fear not ! We’ve got one more trick up our sleeve. Introducing the Kabocha squash, sometimes referred to as a Japanese pumpkin. This winter squash is still sweeter than a Butternut but less so than a Honeynut, lauded for its velvety texture and high in both fiber and beta-carotene, use this winter veggie anywhere you would a pumpkin or traditional squash, that means seeds too!

Much like the Kabocha, Red Kuri squash is a hearty winter squash that you might need a heavy duty knife to carve up. Unlike its relatives, however, this particular squash has an exceptional nutty flavor making it perfect for soups and risotto. The Red Kuri can also be used as a decor as it plays well with gourds and pumpkins!
Of course we would be remiss not to mention the famed thin-skinned Delicata squash, not only is it easy to cut and roast, but the creamy flesh of this squash is ideal for roasting, no peeling necessary. Stuffing the delicata is also a popular way to serve up this variety, however between our three colorful varieties of Acorn squash picking the right veggie for stuffing can be quite a challenge. Try them all, and let us know what you think!

Our squash all come from Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative a non-profit all organic farmer’s cooperative of over 100 family farmers all working out of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to ensure your produce is humanely raised and fresh as can be!

Pepper Pandemonium!

August 30, 2018 Featured Farmer, Vegetables

Savoring the these last beach days, we can’t help but think of other ways to savor the season and the heat! Not to push it, but peppers are in peak season and ripe for the taking.

Coming to us from the Sutherland, MA, Kitchen Garden Farms has peppered our shelves with organic habaneros, poblanos and feisty ch-ch-cherry bombs. In fact, this family farm has been systematically converting retired commercial farmland to certified organic lands for the benefit of the community. Through rotating crops and focussing on biodiversity, they are are committed to improving the health of the soil. All of this makes for a much more nuanced pepper! Their serranos are intensely herbaceous, habañeros are fruitier, and the poblanos maintain the earthy undertones of the rich river bottom soil within which they are grown!

Cherry bombs, a crew favorite, are an exceptional lesser noticed pepper. This small round red pepper related to the jalapeño, cherry bombs are cute and just small enough to stuff with your favorite cheese to make poppers. This quick, easy and eye catching snack is great for Saturday brunch or 3am Netflix binges!

The serrano peppers are divinely herbaceous. While they pack a lot of heat, they can also add fresh green flavors to your dishes. Shave slivers of these peppers over you tacos or some grilled fish accompanied by a wedge of lime to accentuate their bright flavors. These slender green peppers would also make a great candidate for your next home made guacamolé.

Bright orange habaneros might look pretty, but they pack a serious punch. Not to worry, these chili peppers won’t give you scar tissue, but they will add a nice fruity and floral flavor to your dish. Mince it up and add it a burger to take it to the next level. Going for asian inspired dishes? Kitchen Garden Farm organic sriracha sauces give a fresh and zesty kick that pairs perfectly with our emerald fire noodles. Peppers are the perfect vegetable to end the summer and kick start the fall with, the heat might wind down but not for your tastebuds!

Not Your Average Grocer

April 19, 2018 Butcher, Farmtotable, Fort Greene, Grocery, Local, Vegetables

If there’s one thing we know around here, it’s that at Provisions, we’re not your average grocer. People come from all over the city to find that one amazing, rare item we happen to carry, just as much as we have a crowd of regulars who pick up everything they need from us. It’s not just our unique collection of products, though, or even our crew of diverse personalities. It’s in the way we source those products, and it’s in the way those products are made. From your basic milk and eggs to the specialty foods you never thought you’d find in Fort Greene, we strive to find and carry items that are local, sustainable, and ethically made, all held to a high standard of quality.

Many if not most grocery stores source exclusively from corporate distributor middlemen, and they in turn source from industrial farms and factories where there’s little to no transparency. It makes for a hard disconnect on where food comes from, especially when food is mistreated and wasted in the name of perfectly identical, shelf-ready products. The people who make these foods are likely to be vastly underpaid and overworked. Both people and animals suffer under these systems that are not sustainable, and yet as an individual it can seem daunting to get around it. That’s where we come in.

At Provisions, we are constantly looking for more ways to do our part toward a better, more viable food system where people and the food that nourishes them can thrive. Our milk and eggs come from farms where animals are treated like part of the family, with expansive pastures to roam, diverse grazing, and even biweekly pedicures for the cows. We source produce from small operations from as nearby as Gotham Greens in Gowanus, and our butcher counter lets no scrap go to waste when they make animal fat soaps and candles. When it comes to stocking our shelves, we work directly with small producers who hold the same values of sustainability and transparency in their ingredients and production.

Look for Not Your Average Grocer signs around the store, and find out more about what sets us apart!

Eat Your Vegetables, Fort Greene!

June 8, 2017 Farmtotable, Food, Local, Recipes, Vegetables

By Produce Buyer, Nailah Griffin
Culturally, my gastronomic upbringing was in Caribbean and Southern fare, both of which can be very meat-centric cuisines. However, when I was about 10 years old, my mom decided to become a veggie-focused pescatrian, totally shifting the eating habits of our household. As a result, we learned newer, better ways to eat our favorite dishes sans meat. In honor of “Eat Your Vegetables” Day, and parents everywhere struggling to get their kids to eat veggies, I present a few of my childhood favorites!

Red Cabbage Coleslaw with Green Apples
1 ½ cup of shredded purple cabbage
1 large crisp green apple, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, grated
½ medium red onion, diced
¼ cup mayo
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ lemon
2 tsp honey
Salt/Pepper to taste

In a bowl, mix mayo, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt and pepper, and squeeze the lemon halve. Whisk until smooth. In another bowl, combine all the cabbage, apple, carrot, and onion. Pour sauce over the veggies and toss until evenly coated. Enjoy.

Bajan Style Rice
2 cups rice
6 cups water
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp marjoram
1 tbsp chive, dried or freshly chopped
1 large tomato, diced
1 medium onion (or ½ large onion), diced

Boil the vegetable bouillon, diced onion, herbs, in 4 cups of water for about 15-20 minutes.
Then, add the rice, diced tomatoes and remaining water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender

5 Spice Tofu Stir Fry
1 package firm tofu, cubed
2 heads of broccoli, chopped
½ red pepper, diced
½ green pepper, diced
½ cup yellow onion, diced
2 cups of spinach
1 medium sized zucchini, diced
5 spice blend
Olive Oil, as desired

In a bowl, season diced firm tofu with 5 spice blend and set aside. In a skillet, heat about 2 tbsp of oil and, once hot, add the onions and peppers. Cook until onions are translucent, then add broccoli and cook for about 7 minutes. Next, stir in the zucchini and the tofu. Cook until all vegetables are bright but haven’t lost their crunch and then add in spinach. Lower the heat and cover the skillet, allowing it to sit for about 2-3 minutes. Remove top and stir until spinach is evenly dispersed.

Celebrate Earth Day the Brooklyn Way

April 13, 2015 Butcher, Cheese, Events, Farmtotable, Fish/Seafood, Food, Fruit, Grocery, Local, Uncategorized, Vegetables

Which Came First, The Duck or The Egg?

March 14, 2014 Butcher, Food, Grocery, Spirits, Vegetables

Springtime is finally starting to poke its head, and with it brings some of the tastiest eggs we’ve ever seen. Arcadian Pastures, the farm that raises our delicious pork also brings us loads of eggs twice a week, and now we’re excited to offer their Duck Eggs! With richer yolks with a higher yolk to white ratio, these slightly larger elliptical beauties are perfect for making lighter meals like quiches, but they’re also better than chicken eggs for pastries, too.

Speaking of lighter meals, we’re excited to be stocking Ramen Noodles from famed Sun Noodle, who’s been getting a load of press lately. If you’ve become smitten with the craze as much as we have, you’ve tasted their noodles – Sun supplies most of the restaurants in this city! Now you can design your own soups or mazemen (soup-less style), whether you make your own stock or use our house made chicken, or take home our butcher’s house made Pork Tonkotsu broth. Stir in some South River 3-Year Barley or White Miso, a gurgle of Wan Ja Shan Tamari, and a handful of fresh Baby Greens – and maybe a poached Duck Egg?

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Ingredients

Bean Salad

Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette

Let’s Get Cooking!

(Photo: E.G. Richter Farm INC.)

What got you into the world of agriculture and produce?

What’s been part of your experience as a woman working in agriculture?

What’s your favorite produce?

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