As July is well underway, the colors and flavors of summer produce are in full swing. With options from asparagus to zucchini, and everything in between, it can be hard to just choose one – so why not include them all? Preparing a diverse, colorful dish allows you to get closer to your daily produce recommendation, gives you tons of vitamins and minerals, and lets you serve a flavorful meal to WOW family and friends. Enjoy the colors and flavors that summer has to offer with this week’s in-season recipe

Grilled Garden Veggies

Who doesn’t love a colorful summer dish shared among family and friends? With this simple recipe, you and your guests can enjoy deep red tomatoes, bright yellow summer squash, rich green zucchini and more! Plus, this dish gets you well on your way towards including the seven essential colors that everyone should include in their meals every day! And along with the vibrant colors come a ton of health benefits, too!

To learn more about the benefits of cooking with color, read on!

Recipe found in Taste of Home Garden Recipes!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed, divided
2 small zucchini, sliced
2 small yellow summer squash, sliced
1/2 pound medium fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 large tomato, diced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation

1. Drizzle 1 tbsp. oil over a double thickness of heavy duty foil (about 24 in x 12 in.). Combine the onion, garlic and 1/2 tsp. rosemary; spoon over foil. Top with zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms and tomato; drizzle with the remaining oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and remaining rosemary.

2. Fold foil around vegetables and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over medium eat for 15-20 minutes until tender. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape.

Nutrition Information:1 serving (3/4 cup) 61 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 227 mg sodium, 6 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat.

Read on to Learn More About the Benefits of Cooking With Color!

We are happy to kick off the Double Up Food Bucks Program (July to October), along with Prescription for Health (starting July 13th) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (also known as Bridge Cards)

Please visit the market information table for specifics on the programs!

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Also this week:The Children’s Tent is back with its “Bubble, Bubble” themed activities!

Cooking with Color!
Seven Colors For Your Everyday Meals and Why They Matter Most!

It’s not just about finishing your vegetables at dinner anymore! Including fresh produce in your meals can do wonders for your metabolism, energy level and your overall health! Besides providing us with vitamins, minerals and fiber, colorful produce boasts the power of phytochemicals, which are designed to protect plants, but actually help protect us too! These nifty little molecules have the power to help prevent heart disease, cancers, Alzheimer’s, and many other health issues; and making sure you get all the right colors in your daily diet is the key!

Red: Red foods, such as tomatoes, contain lycopene, a phytochemical that may help protect against prostate and breast cancers. Try tomatoes, watermelon, red peppers and pink grapefruit.Orange: The alpha and beta carotenes responsible for the brilliant orange colors in the fruits and vegetables we love are also responsible for keeping your eyes, bones and immune system healthy.Try nectarines, carrots, oranges, and mangoes.Yellow and Green, part 1 (leafy greens): Lots of yellow and green vegetables are good sources of lutein and zeaxanthin, phytochemicals that protect our eyes against age-related macular degeneration. Dark leafy greens are also packed with iron and rich in beta carotene. Try lettuce, summer squash, spinach, mustard greens and chard.Green, part 2 (cruciferous): Cruciferous vegetables are unique in that they provide compounds called indoles and isothiocyanates, which may help prevent cancer by aiding our body in the production of enzymes that clear out toxins. Try broccoli, cauliflower, green cabbage and kale.Blue and Purple/Deep Red: Blue, purple and deep-red fruits and vegetables are full of anthocyanins and proanthocyanins, antioxidants that do wonders for heart health! Try blueberries, eggplant, red radishes and raspberries. Adapted from Eating Well By Color

How Many Colors Have You Had Today?

New Items this Week!

Kapnick Orchards will have sweet and sour cherries, black and red raspberries and maybe a few peaches.

Anna’s Handmade and Homegrown will have beaded bracelets.

Zatkovich Pastures will have 100% grass-fed Dexter beef, organically-fed free-range eggs, organically-fed pasture-raised dinner chickens

Tantre Farm will have green beans, yellow beans, black raspberries, basil and cucumbers new this week, along with their regular produce listed below.
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Seasonal Vendors:

Back Forty Acres – Meats / Poultry / Eggs, all raised naturally
Beverly’s Crafts and More – Pillows, baked goods, body cream, soap, granola
Chandra June – Jewelry and garden art
Frog Hollar Farms – Produce, home-baked breads and cakes, crafts, cut flowers, and more
fresh – Locally roasted coffee beans
Greystone Farm & Creamery – Cream cheeses, camembert style cheeses, feta, and gouda, and manchego style cheeses from the sheep’s milk.
H & H Sugarbush – Maple syrup, maple cream, maple candy, maple nuts, popcorn
Heim Gardens – Perennials, annuals, hanging baskets, planters, produce (vegetables, raspberries, strawberries)
Janet’s LLC – Herbs and spices, blends and grilling rubs, flavored nuts, chocolate, jams, dolls and greeting cards
Kapnick Orchard – Fresh fruits, from strawberries and raspberries to apples and cherries.
La Baguette – French breads and baked goods
Mama Mofoods – 17 varieties of hummus, 8 varieties of seitan and pesto
Merkel Gardens & Greenhouses – Hanging baskets, flats and produce
Myer’s Blackberry Farm – blackberries, raspberries, jams and vegetables
Ruhlig’s Produce – Wide variety of vegetables and cut flowers
Stone Hearth Breads and Bakery – Artisan breads, bagels, favo, pepperoni rolls, cookies
Tantre Farm – Organic vegetables and cut flowers: Arugula, Beans (Fava, Green,Yellow) Beets (Chioggia, Red), Chard, Swiss, Collard Greens, Cucumbers (pickling and slicing), Fresh Garlic bulbs, Herbs (many kinds–peppermint, parsley, tarragon, sorrel, sage, spearmint, oregano, thyme, lemon balm, anise hyssop, savory), Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms (Oyster), Onions (green), Peas (Shelling, Snap, Snow), Raspberries (Black,Golden), Spicy Greens, Squash (summer) Zucchini (yellow & green).
Tasty Bakery – Gluten-free baked goods – NEW!
Zatkovich Pastures – Grass fed beef, eggs, poultry – NEW!

Daily Vendors:

Country Hills Pottery
Anna’s Handmade and Homegrown – Knit goods, produce and beaded bracelets
Bee Well – Goat’s milk soap and homemade heating pads
Dancy’s Fancy Butter
Flying Dragon Arts – Ribbon jewelry

Program Spotlight – Prescription for Health

The Prescription for Health Program connects patients at medical clinics to their local farmers’ market. Participants receive nutrition education and support, and they also receive coupons to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at the farmers’ market! This year in Chelsea, patients can sign up for the program if eligible through Faith in Action’s Grace Clinic.

The overall purpose of the Prescription for Health (PFH) program is to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among patients with low income, and to build capacity of clinics to expand the traditional medical model to include the food system.

How does the program work?

Clinicians identify potential participants when patients come in for a regular visit.
A clinician reviews the patient’s chart for chronic disease risk and food access difficulty, and asks the patient if he/she would like to participate. If a patient is eligible and interested, the clinician refers the patient to a group enrollment visit.
Patients attend a group enrollment visit.
The patient attends a group enrollment visit, where he/she receives information about the program and engages in a discussion about the link between health, chronic disease and food choices. The patient sets specific goals for healthy eating, and is written a “prescription” for fruits and vegetables. The prescription may be filled at the local farmers’ market and is worth a total of $50.
Patients take their prescriptions to the Prescription for Health booth at the farmers’ market.
Program staff provide individual nutrition education and support, and give the patient $10 in tokens at each visit, up to 5 visits. The tokens can be used the same as cash at the market to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables.

Program Evaluation and Outcomes:

Washtenaw County Public Health staff conducted pre- and post-program surveys of patients and clinic staff. They also tracked patients’ use of coupons on a weekly basis throughout the season.