Tag Archives: box

What’s in the Box

Today I skipped down to the gate guard to pick up our last package, before we decide to renew again or not. Part of me was really sad that this was the end of our first run that we tried with the CSA. Okay, maybe all of me was sad…that being said, we’ve got to renew!

The CSA box contents changed and restructured a bit from the past boxes we’ve received. We knew it was coming, WWOOF made sure they let all box recipients last week know, as well as it being emailed and posted on social outlets. Now instead of getting breads and snacks in your box, WWOOF is focusing more on the emphasis of the produce. More green for your green! If you still want to get the breads and snacks, they are add on items. In addition to that there are also going to be more add-on items in the future as well. Talk of organic meats, jams, etc. How awesome is that?

This week we got our standard delicious strawberries, eggs (two unfortunate little guys didn’t make it and were cracked and oozing on the others), potatoes, sweet potatoes, a carrot, spinach, mallow, assorted salad vegetables, perilla leaves, and an onion. Then there was the show stopper, its last but certainly not least and is a new item, bean sprouts!

Let’s talk about the bean sprouts shall we? Bean Sprouts are a powerhouse of nutrients! You get vitamins B, C, B1, B6, K and A all from that teeny little bean sprout. Plus, sprouts are a wonderful source of iron, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and manganese, and omega 3 fatty acids. Whew! See, powerhouse! Low on energy? Forget that power bar or shake, reach for some sprouts! The sprouts help by giving our bodies a great source of enzymes that increase our overall energy.

I’m not even close to being done with the topic of these bean sprouts. Did you know that these sprouts help prevent cancer, heart attack or stroke, osteoporosis, boost fertility, are great for skin, help aid in losing weight and acne and prevent menstrual disorders and menopause.

Before coming to South Korea, I cannot say that we honestly ever ate bean sprouts. Now that Korean culture and eating habits have rocked our world, we couldn’t imagine a future without them. Almost any Korean restaurant serves bean sprouts often in a sauce or accompanying meat. They are a perfect side addition to a meal, on a salad, or even in soup.

What are you waiting for? Go out and grab some organic bean sprouts NOW!

Backpackbees

Foodie Pen Pal February

It’s that time of the month again, the day that I get to share with you all my February Foodie Pen Pal experience. I was linked up with Sonya and her family in Oklahoma. I threw together a fun box knowing that this box was not only going to be received by just one person, but an entire family. From a few messages back and forth, I know that Sonya and her family were from a small town with limited cultural experience. She stated that she had some teenage daughters that were certainly eager to check out whatever I was sending their way.

I knew I wanted to include some Korean staples like fun candies, typical Korean snacks, rice seasonings, a Korean/expat magazine, a handwritten postcard from Seoul, and some beauty samples. Basically I wanted to box up the Korean culture and rock their small town that day.

I shipped the box out by the cutoff date of the 15th (I cannot believe I forgot to snap a picture to include for the blog, oops sorry!). A few days later I received the sweetest thoughtful message back, Sonya and her family had received their February foodie box.

“We got our box yesterday and had so much fun opening it up and sampling the goodies!  The girls got a real kick out the “Beatles” until we realized they are just like Skittles…we were almost afraid that they were candy coated beatles…:)  We’re not sure what everything is really called or what everything really is, but we’ve decided that the little round sweets taste like little cake donuts and the “Sweet Remembrancers” tasted like animal crackers.  🙂  I’m making plans on making up some rice this weekend to try the rice seasonings (wish I had some of the korean white rice now!)  One of my 15 year olds is a Ramen noodle queen and the “black” noodle package looks to be a korean ramen noodle, so she’s psyched to give that a try!  Oh and we LOVED the chocolate almond sticks as well!  Thank you so much…the whole box was perfect!  And sooo fun.  I’m going to give the face mask a try and the only thing I could not figure out was the rose bottles….I’m not sure what each was…:) 
The girls really enjoyed going through the box and getting to see the Korean writing and looking at the magazine.  Living in a small town in Oklahoma (population 2200) with one stoplight…it’s not very often they see anything from outside of the state, let alone outside of this country or hemisphere…:) ”   – Sonya
Mr. B and I both agreed, this experience had to be one of the BEST since starting our Foodie Pen Pal experience. We loved that this time our box went to a family that would be experiencing something well out of their norm.
So, I know you are waiting for me to unveil what we received from our February foodie pen pal. We were linked with Barb from Delaware. Exchanged a few messages back and forth talking about family, how we ended up in Korea, etc. Barb must have taken the time to read up on our blog post because her box was perfectly put together for these two Bees!

 

Two pink snowballs, a breakfast granola box, a box of chai honey vanilla tea, truffle chocolates,

chocolate peanut butter fiber one bars, two pure drink mixes, and two pumpkin K-cups.

In Barb’s handwritten note she said that this box was to give us energy. Oh, Barb, we certainly need it these days!

Barb also wrote that she really wanted to include something pumpkiny for me because she knew how much I enjoyed that flavor. Hence the K-cups. Well, I hate to cut you all short, but I must bid you all adieu. Off to purchase a Keurig to drink these wonderfully thoughtful K-cups!

 

Backpackbees

An Apple a Day

So I guess we have more than enough apples to enjoy for a few days… or so…

I didn’t get to fulfill my hopes of apple picking in Korea this year. I couldn’t track down a farm that would allow you to pick yourself. I guess I can add that to my list of things that I do miss from home.

Don’t worry! We did fulfill the apple void by ordering a 15 kilo (roughly 33lbs) box of freshly picked apples from a farm South of us. These apples are delicious! My stomach is envisioning many nights of apple slices dunked in caramel and topped with whipped cream, totally healthy, hey! You’ve got to live a little.

Speaking of apples and things that I miss, almost every fall my family makes applesauce and cans it for the winter. The sauce is heavenly. Just the perfect amount of sweetness. If I were home right this second id be begging to make it with them. Hopefully there is at least one jar left when we go home for a visit to savor.

How do you enjoy your apples? Plain? sauced? baked? Feel free to let me in on a few recipes too! Goodness, you see our refrigerator, I think we can spare a few and try out a new thing or two.

The nerd in me had to share these fun facts that I received in an e-mail as I was writing this blog. Perfect timing!

  • The crabapple is the only apple native to North America.
  • Apples come in all shades of reds, greens, and yellows.
  • Two pounds of apples make one 9-inch pie.
  • 2,500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States.
  • 7,500 varieties of apples are grown throughout the world.
  • Apples are grown in all 50 states.
  • Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free.
  • Apples are a great source of the fiber pectin. One apple has five grams of fiber.
  • The science of apple growing is called pomology.
  • Apple trees take four to five years to produce their first fruit.
  • Most apples are still picked by hand in the fall.
  • Apple varieties range in size from a little larger than a cherry to as large as a grapefruit.
  • Apples are a member of the rose family.
  • Apples harvested from an average tree can fill 20 boxes that weigh 42 pounds each.
  • The largest apple picked weighed three pounds.
  • Most apples can be grown farther north than most other fruits, because they blossom late in spring, minimizing frost damage.
  • Apples have five seed pockets or carpels. Each pocket contains seeds. The number of seeds per carpel is determined by the vigor and health of the plant. Different varieties of apples will have different number of seeds.
  • Apples ripen six to ten times faster at room temperature than if they were refrigerated. 
Source: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/apples/facts.cfm
Humph, who would’ve thought.