We provide free delivery on produce orders $30 and above, locally in Lake Country, WI area: Dousman, Ottawa, Oconomowoc, Eagle, Waukesha, Palmyra, Sullivan and Delafield. If you are outside this area, contact us for delivery costs to your location. Orders are also available for pick up by appointment. Contact us to make arrangements.
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2 Culinary Herbs You’ll Love: Pungent Dill and Spicy Cilantro
We grow culinary herbs. Here we’re highlighting Dill and Cilantro. Feel free to contact us about what’s currently growing in our greenhouse.
Culinary Herbs: Dill
We recognize Dill as a versatile culinary herb recognized for its delicate, fern-like leaves and aromatic seeds. It offers a bright, grassy flavor with hints of anise, celery, and lemon. Widely utilized in Mediterranean, Slavic, and Scandinavian cuisines, fresh dill, often called “dill weed,” is popular in salads and fish dishes. Its pungent seeds are essential ingredients in pickling processes.
Health Benefits of Dill
Historically valued in traditional medicine, dill continues to receive recognition from modern Western medical practices for its health-promoting properties.
- Rich in flavonoids, dill may help lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. It can also reduce LDL cholesterol levels, contributing to cardiovascular health.
- It is a good source of essential nutrients, including vitamins A and C, magnesium, calcium, and iron.
- Research suggests dill may have anti-inflammatory effects, aid digestion, prevent ulcers, neutralize free radicals, and alleviate pain.
Cooking and Culinary Uses of Dill
Dill enhances many dishes, especially as a garnish for cold soups made with beets, cucumbers, or yogurt. It pairs well with tzatziki, a traditional Greek cucumber-yogurt dip. The herb complements seafood dishes, spreads like sour cream and cream cheese, and is also suitable for lamb preparations.
Culinary Herbs: Cilantro
Cilantro, derived from the fresh leaves and stems of the coriander plant (Coriandrum sativum), belongs to the parsley family.
Health Benefits of Cilantro
Used medicinally since ancient times, the scientific community increasingly supports cilantro’s health benefits through scientific research. Including cilantro in your diet may promote:
- brain health, with studies indicating potential reductions in symptoms of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
- reduced anxiety
Uses for Cilantro
It is a staple in Mexican, Indian, Thai, and Middle Eastern cuisines, frequently used in salsas, marinades, dressings, and garnishes. American kitchens value cilantro for its fresh, citrusy aroma and flavor.
Read about our microgreens.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are extremely nutritionally dense. There are vitamins and antioxidants packed in each delicious fruit that support healthy skin, weight loss, and heart health.
The water content of tomatoes is around 95%. The other 5% consist mainly carbohydrates and fiber. One medium sized tomato contains only 22 calories. Pictured below are some of our Sun Gold tomatoes growing in our greenhouse.
Tomatoes can be a valuable part of a healthy diet. They are usually red when mature. They also come in a variety of other colors, including yellow, orange, green and purple. Shapes and flavors vary.
Ways to Eat Them
In fact, they are incredibly versatile and can be prepared in a seemingly endless number of dishes. Eat more of them by:
- adding them to wraps
- adding them to sandwiches
- dicing for salsas
- eating them whole or sliced in salads
- cooked in sauces or purees
- frying green
- stewed in soups
Pictured below are some of the Campari variety on the vine. These midsized tomatoes are good for slicing or cooking in recipes or including in a salad.
Health Benefits
Now one of the most popular fresh-market vegetables, tomatoes rank behind only potatoes, lettuce, and onions.
- Skincare. They contain a high level of Lycopene, a phytochemical used in facial cleansers. As you eat them, the properties in tomatoes also help protect you from sunburn.
- Cancer Prevention. A number of studies indicate that the high levels of lycopene in this fruit work to reduce your chances of developing several types of cancer.
- Strong bones. Tomatoes contain a considerable amount of calcium and Vitamin K. Both of these nutrients are essential in strengthening our bones. They also perform minor repairs on the bones as well as the bone tissue.
- Essential antioxidants. Tomatoes contain a great deal of antioxidants. These work to neutralize harmful free radicals leading to cell damage. Cooking destroys Vitamin C, so for these benefits, they need to be eaten raw.
- Heart healthy. The Vitamin B and potassium in tomatoes are effective in reducing cholesterol levels and lowering blood pressure.
- Shiny, strong hair and eye health. The Vitamin A in tomatoes works perfectly to keep your hair shiny and strong. It is also fantastic for improving your vision. Eating them also prevents the development of night blindness.
- Blood sugar levels. Tomatoes are packed full of a valuable mineral, chromium. Chromium works effectively to help diabetics keep their blood sugar levels under better control.
Buy Fresh Picked
Tomatoes are often harvested and transported while still green and immature. Then, they ripen when growers use artificial ethylene gas. This may affect flavor development, resulting in tasteless fruit.
We pick our’s ripe, and then sell them fresh. Want to check out more of our produce or microgreens?
Our Microgreens
Microgreens are a highly nutritious way to enhance salads, sandwiches, smoothies, soups, stews or serve as a garnish on omelets and casseroles. They are very popular in restaurants. Now you have a way to enjoy them at home and create your own healthful recipes.
WHAT ARE THEY?
They are the “youngster” version of full-grown, mature plants. Taste and nutrition are far more concentrated than that of their adult counterparts. They are available in many varieties, including peas, bok choy, sunflowers, mustard, radish, broccoli, kale, arugula, beets, watercress, chard, cilantro, basil, parsley, chives, and many more. We are also at your service to custom grow other, more specific varieties at your request.
HOW DO WE GROW THEM?
This type of green often grows in soil, but we use a clean soil substitute. We grow them indoors on natural fiber bio-degradable mats with purified water, paying special attention to temperature, air flow, and lighting. This helps us grow the highest quality microgreens year-round, without soil (avoiding soil-borne diseases).
We provide our microgreens intact, still rooted to their mat, not harvested. In this configuration, they remain fresh until you cut them (horizontally just above the mat, leaving the roots behind). Then, keep the mat cool and moist. The remaining uncut greens will stay fresh much longer, waiting for you to harvest them for your next recipe.
For prices on our microgreens contact us.
WHAT MICROGREENS ARE NOT
Microgreens are not sprouts.
- “Youngsters,” they grow for a longer period than sprouts. They benefit from lighting. We eat only the leaves and stems.
- “Infants,” sprouts germinate from seeds. They grow without light. We eat their leaves, roots and seeds.
Microgreens are watered differently than sprouts.
- We water them from the underneath the mat, and then immediately drain them. This prevents the stems and new leaves from getting wet.
- Sprouts are often watered from the top. They are soaked and irrigated frequently — a process that may cause high levels of moisture. This moisture, combined with warmth while germinating, can become a possible breeding ground for bacteria.
EGG WHITE OMELETTE WITH AVOCADO, GOAT CHEESE, AND MICROGREENS
(from the Merry Thought)
Ingredients:
- 2 egg whites
- 2 tsp milk
- salt
- pepper
- sliced avocado
- crumbled goat cheese
- fresh microgreens
Directions:
- Whisk together two egg whites and 2 tsp of milk
- Add to a skillet with a light coat of cooking spray and then cook it over medium to low heat
- Add salt and pepper (to taste) to the egg while cooking
- flip the egg over when the bottom looks cooked
- When done, transfer the omelet to a plate and then fill it with sliced avocado, crumbled goat cheese, and some fresh microgreens
- fold in half
Want to know more about our produce? Read about our peppers here.
