Blogs

This winter has been an eventful one for California farmers! Cold snaps earlier in the season created shortages in winter vegetables across the board, making it a little trickier to for San Francisco veggie eaters to find their favorite winter offerings.

Thankfully, temperatures have become more regular with the turn of the season, and the best of the winter harvest is still available. Be sure to enjoy your favorite winter fruits and veggies before spring arrives.

What are our favorites, you ask? Take a look!

At LolaBee’s Harvest, we want to help you enjoy your food to the fullest. This means providing the best local foods available and hopefully giving you some cooking inspiration.

While eating right is important for everyone, it’s particularly important to help the youngest members of the family get off to a strong, healthy start! That’s why we offer Fresh Baby Bites made fresh to order every week.

Founder and momtrepreneur Kimberly Hemmes-Burns was committed to feeding her 6-month-old daughter nothing but the freshest organic foods but soon found that making them herself was not always possible, and there were no fresh baby foods to be found in grocery stores. So she took matters into her own hands and launched Fresh Baby Bites, winning Red Tricycle’s 2012 award for the Best Mom-Run Business in the Bay Area along the way.

Our team believes that the quickest way to a loved one’s heart is through their stomach, so this Valentine’s Day we’ve partnered with with San Francisco’s own Recchiuti’s Confections to deliver the ingredients for a fresh, heartfelt dinner for two – right to your front door!

New Recchiuti dipping and drizzling sauces, just in time for Valentine’s Day!

This weekend our market will feature three special Valentine’s Dinner boxes packed with locally sourced ingredients, a suggested menu with recipes, and a jar of Recchiuti’s chocolate or caramel dipping sauce.  We’ll also have a box stocked with both Recchiuti’s sauces paired with a selection of our fresh fruit. Think of them as Harvest Boxes for the Heart!

Hello, Harvesters! A few newer items in our market have been getting good buzz around our office and in our Facebook and Twitter feeds, so we thought we’d introduce you. We’ve also included a yummy recipe adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian that brings these fresh ingredients together in a way that’s sure to please your taste buds.

First up, the Red Kuri Squash. Sourced from Miramonte Farms, this winter squash is a red-orange, pumpkin-shaped squash loaded with

McFarland Springs California Trout

You heard us right! LolaBee’s Harvest is proud to offer sustainably farmed fish for delivery. Aside from adding more variety to our animal proteins (and hopefully giving you some inspiration for dinner next week), this new addition to our market embodies our commitment to local food produced in an ethical way.

Our partner i love blue sea, which sources and packages fish farmed by sustainable seafood champion TwoXSea (“two by sea”), has this to say about the delectable trout filets we have available:

Calling all squash lovers! New to the market, thanks to Route 1 Farms in Santa Cruz, is the… Futsu Squash!

Sweet, buttery, slightly nutty, and oh-so-yummy is the funky, wrinkly, witchy looking pumpkin known as the futsu squash, pronounced “fut-zoo.” This unique and beautiful squash is round and heavily ribbed, and because of its characteristic wrinkles it is very hard to peel for simmering or sautéing. However, it’s delicious when baked and the skin, like an acorn squash, is edible! In addition, the futsu’s rich, hazelnut flesh is packed tons of nutrients. So hop on the futsu train!

This week’s Harvest Box features the spaghetti squash, an oblong winter squash known for it stringy, spaghetti-like flesh and mellow, nutty flavor. If you’re looking for an easy way to kick off your new year with healthier eating habits, this squash is a tasty, versatile alternative to spaghetti with lots of nutritional value.

Photo Credit: Bunches and Bits {Karina}

Whether it’s 10 a.m. or 3 p.m., there’s that familiar feeling of hunger or loss of energy. Instead of reaching for your second or third cup of coffee, why not try one of these great energy-boosting snacks! The key to an in-between-meal-snack is a snack filled with good nutrients to power you through to your next meal. A snack complete with a mix of good carbs, good fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Below are a few of our suggestions.

Kale Chips

With low amounts of calories, fat and sodium and high amounts of vitamins and minerals like potassium, vitamin A, and vitamin K, kale chips are the perfect snack!

Fresh Apples and Peanut Butter

Photo Credit: healthy lunch ideas

Brown bagging your lunches for work or school doesn’t have to be taxing, boring or rushed. With a little pre-planning and a little help from your friends at LolaBee’s, your lunches can be easy, nutritious, and super delicious. Here are some great ideas for both you and your kids…

Put it on a Skewer. Put your kids’ snacks on a skewer to spice up your lunch and make it fun and easy to eat. The following are some examples of delicious fruits, vegetables, and cheese that work well kebob style: turkey + apple cubes + celery + cheddar cheese cubes. Or kiwi cubes + apple cubes + Satsuma segments.