Archive for the ‘Products’ Category
Seed of the Day :: Borage
Heirloom Borage Seeds | Baker Creek
Borage (Borago officinalis) is a culinary and medicinal herb native to the Mediterranean, which means (in most cases) it’s well suited for Central Texas.
Annual
Category: Herb
Size: 2-3 feet H x 1-2 feet W
When to plant: Early Spring-Early Summer (Feb-April for Central TX)
How to plant: Borage grows best if direct seeded. Surface sow the seeds and cover lightly with soil. Keep well watered. While borage is can grow in poor dry soil, a sunny location with rich, well draining soil is optimal. When seedlings are 2-3 inches tall, thin to 12 inches spacing.
Square foot spacing: 1 plant per square foot.
Harvesting: Remove leaves and flowers as needed. Mature leaves will grow spines, so harvesting the leaves young in preferred.
Culinary use: All parts of the plant are edible. The leaves have a cucumber-like flavor, and are wonderful in salads and soup. The flowers are slightly sweet with a honey-like flavor and are often used for garnish on desserts, and is the traditional garnish for a Pimms Cup cocktail. These flowers are one of the very few, truly blue edibles.
Medicinal use: Traditionally used in hyperactive gastrointestinal, respiratory, cardiovascular, and mood disorders. Borage seed oil contains a high amount of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). GLA is an omega-6 fatty acid. Omega-6 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function, as well as normal growth and development. Also known to help stimulate skin and hair growth, maintain bone health, regulate metabolism, and maintain the reproductive system. Borage flower might have an antioxidant effect.
Companion planting: Borage is a rockstar in the garden. It’s an excellent companion for tomatoes, squash, strawberries and most plants. In particular, it will improve flavor and increase yields of strawberries. The leaves are mineral rich, and will benefit any plant growing next to it by increasing resistance to pest and disease. These leaves also make a fantastic mulch that will feed your garden as it breaks down.
Pollinator power: Borage’s beautiful blue star-shaped flowers are a favorite of bees and wasps. It is hands-down one of the best plants for benefiting and attracting much needed pollinators.
Special notes: Borage is a hardy annual that reseeds itself very well – a little too well. In order to minimize unwanted volunteers, we recommended planting in containers or removing the plant/flowers before it goes to seed. However, it is very easy to remove unwanted borage volunteers – it’s not invasive. Finally, in order to keep those beautiful blue blooms going, feed borage a healthy dose of phosphorus.
Sources:
University of Maryland Medical Center: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/gamma-linolenic-000305.htm
Ashworth, Suzanne & Whealy, Kent; Seed to Seed: Seed Saving Techniques for the Vegetable Gardener, Seed Savers Exchange, 2002.
Kinfolk Magazine: A Guide to Small Gatherings
After reading an issue of Kinfolk Magazine, it’s hard not to dream of planning a small gathering for your loved ones. Every page is like a piece of art. The beautiful photographs mingle with stories that range from a brief history of breakfast to neighborly gift giving.
The publication, free of ads, comes out four times a year and is lovely enough to adorn your coffee table or claim a permanent spot on your book shelf. Every article in this magazine will stay relevant for seasons to come – making it a piece of art you hang onto for years and years.
One of the main attractions for us were the recipes. Sprinkled throughout its entirety, this issue contains recipes such as blackberry buns with warm vanilla sauce, spiced fig cranberry sauce and fancy hot chocolate. These are the type of recipes that leave us Central Texans wishing we lived someplace that required wool mittens and snow boots (if only for a little while).
The founders of the magazine support small gatherings, believing that there is something about sharing a table with friends and family that anchors our relationships and energizes us.
They created Kinfolk as a collaborative way to advocate the natural approach to entertaining that they love. They believe in simple, uncomplicated gatherings, which is evident on every page of the magazine. This publication feels like a magazine, reads like a book and looks like a piece of art.
We are one of the few places in Austin where you can pick up Kinfolk, and we hope that you treat yourself (or someone you love) to the guide for small gatherings.
Happy reading.
Support Local: Eat, Drink Local Food Box Available Dec.1-8
December 1-8 is Eat, Drink Local Week here in Austin, TX. There are events all around town celebrating local food, farms and vendors. The proceeds benefit the Sustainable Food Center and Urban Roots, two amazing organizations in Austin working for a more sustainable, just food system.
We’re celebrating the week with a bunch of different activities. Come stop by on the Urban Farm Bike Tour this Saturday, on Wednesday drink some beer and meet the fellas from Hops and Grain and on Friday we’ll be screening the documentary LOCAL, followed by a Q&A with the film maker. You can find out specifics here.
As a participating business, we’re offering up our local food box. It will be available starting tomorrow, December 1st.
Looks delicious, doesn’t it?
The box is $38, or $35 if you bring your own box! Check out what you’ll get when you purchase your local food box.
- 6 eggs from Vital Farms
- Lucky Layla Golden Butter
- 1 jar of Confituras jam
- 1 lbs of Gourmet Texas Pasta
- 1 bunch of kale from Johnson’s Backyard Garden
- 1 head of lettuce from Johnson’s Backyard Garden
- 1 head of broccoli from Johnson’s Backyard Garden
- 1 bunch of carrots from Johnson’s Backyard Garden
- 4 oranges from G&S Groves
- 2 grapefruit from G&S Groves
It’s Turkey Time!
It’s November! With Halloween over, it’s time to start thinking about Thanksgiving. No rest for the weary during the holidays. The wonderful thing about Thanksgiving is it’s a holiday based around food. Our favorite kind of celebration.
For many, the main feature of the holiday is the turkey. Luckily, you can pick up a free range, humanely raised turkey at in.gredients, bringing you one step closer to a local Thanksgiving meal.
This year, we’re offering 100% pasture-raised Broad Breasted White Turkeys from our friends at Smith & Smith farm in Rogers, TX. The turkeys will be fresh-frozen, meaning they will be butchered at the farm and immediately frozen.
Who wants another caged turkey when you can have a bird that you know has been humanely raised on a local farm? Order now, because we’ve only reserved 50 turkeys, and they’ll go quickly!
Turkey prices:
Early Bird Special: $5.50/lb for all orders placed by November 12th
Orders Placed from November 13th-19th: $6.00/lb
In order to reserve a turkey, a $40 non-refundable deposit is required. The remainder will be calculated when we receive the birds from the farmer. Early Bird Turkeys will be ready for pickup on Saturday, November 17th at in.gredients. Orders placed after the 12th will be available for pick-up on the 21st – the day before Thanksgiving. Make sure you hang on to your receipt for pick-up!
Turkey size options (Smith & Smith will do their best to deliver a turkey in your requested weight range. Most birds will be in the 15-25 lb range):
- Small 15-18 lbs
- Medium 18-22 lbs
- Large 22-25 lbs
Orders can be placed in-store or online via PayPal by clicking the turkeys below.
If you have any questions please call 512-275-6357 or email and we’d be glad to help!
Kale Chips
We’re lucky (for many reasons) to live in Texas. We get to plant, grow, and harvest leafy greens all winter long. And who doesn’t love fresh kale, spinach, and swiss chard in December?
With our produce fridge filled to the brim with kale, it’s time to get creative. One of the beauties of this green is you can sautee it, pop it in a pasta dish, eat it raw or bake it.
A favorite around these parts is the kale chip. Salty, crunchy, and SUPER easy to prepare, it’s a snack go-to that won’t leave your stomach feeling like a hot mess.
The best part about this recipe is you need four ingredients. That’s it. Kale chips are the ultimate lazy snack food that is simultaneously healthy.
If that isn’t a win/win, we don’t know what is.
Kale Chips
- 1 bunch curly leaf kale
- 3 teaspoons olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- Cracked pepper to taste
- Pinch of ground cayenne pepper (optional, but gives the chips a little bit of spice)
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash and remove the stems from the kale. The stems, while not part of the recipe, are good for composting, or if you have chickens, they love these. Rip up the kale into desired chip size pieces, and once dry place in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the rest of the ingredients, making sure that the leaves get evenly coated.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, spread the leaves in a single layer, making sure to not overcrowd so the chips will dry evenly. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the kale ‘s crispy. After they’ve cooled, serve or store in paper bags. If you own a vacuum sealer, you can store the chips for longer – just make sure to wait until they’re cool. Don’t refrigerate, as this’ll make the chips extra soggy, extra fast.
If the chips do start to lose their crunch, you can re-crisp them by baking them again at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. They’ll crisp up as they cool.
Happy eating!
List of Packaged Products at in.gredients
Coming soon! This list will be populated when our store opens – and will explain why each of the few packaged items we sell are currently required to be sold in packaging.
The Artful World of Food
While we’re busy coordinating vendors for in.gredients, finalizing renovation plans, etc, etc, it’s been to take a break and discover fun, food-related strokes of genius. Above, artist Christopher Boffoli explores size disparity and a juxtaposition of scales between people and things through photography. For his series Disparity he decided to use food as his backdrop.
Read this interview to find out more about his stunning photos!
What do you find to be the most enjoyable part of putting these scenes together?
“Well it’s all enjoyable, from getting the idea, or seeing something that’s freshly in season at the farmer’s market – that would make a good – backdrop, to actually setting it up in my studio while I’m rocking out to music. Though the set-ups can be tricky. The figures aren’t really built to stand on their own. So getting them arranged without being obvious to the camera can take a surprising amount of time. But with all that said, it can be really cool to hear how people react to the images, especially when they’re paired with a clever/funny caption.”
(image via: My Modern Met)
Portion Control Plates
Would these plates inspire you to eat more veggies?
Or maybe this set?
And here’s one for the kiddos:
(images via: The Review Crew, Cnet , Fred & Friends)
Change
Often it’s easy to forget to perform in public the energy-saving habits we practice at home. Finnish designer Tima Naskanen designed Change, a tasklight that encourages people to change their environment habit. You insert a coin into the lamp to turn it on, and when you want to turn it off, the lamp will dispense your coin back. How clever! The lamp was designed to be used in public places like libraries, where forgetting to flip the switch is not uncommon.
(image via: design boom)
Re(Cycle)
Mark Bowers shows that “recycling does not have to be this complicated” in his creation- Re(Cycle). He ends up designing a very sophisticated, interactive exhibit that performs the simplest of task (i.e. recycles your water bottle for you). It engages people to be responsible and to rethink waste.
Simply place your plastic bottle on the bin, take a golf ball from the container and crank it up the belt to the top. Then, follow it on its journey until it knocks your recycling into the bin.
(video and image via: Mark Bowers)
