WWLP, September 30th, 2015.
You can make this easy inexpensive broccoli apple salad and help support local farmers at the same time. Devon Whitney-Deal, Local Hero Program Manager at CISA, shared more.
SNAP & Save
What is the SNAP & Save program?
Use your EBT card at participating farmers’ markets, and we’ll match what you spend up to $5 every week. That means that if you swipe your EBT card for $5 at a local farmers’ market, you’ll get $10 worth of tokens to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s a great deal!
How does SNAP & Save Work?
Visit any participating farmers’ market
Shop around and decide how much you want to spend from your SNAP benefits.
Swipe your EBT card (just like at a supermarket) at the market managers’ booth (look for a sign!).
Get tokens instead of cash for the amount you chose – plus up to $5 in extra tokens.
Use your tokens that same day to buy fruit, vegetables, and more at the market.
For a list of participating Hampshire County Farmers’ Markets click here.
For a list of participating Hampden County Farmers Markets click here.
Broccoli Apple Salad
Recipe courtesy of ‘Good & Cheap’ by Leanne Brown – a cookbook that she wrote to help extend SNAP dollars with meals families can make for $4 a day!
Ingredients:
1 large crown and stem of broccoli
2 apples
Dressing:
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Alternate Dressing:
1 tbsp yogurt
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp fresh dill, chopped
salt and pepper
Directions:
Slice the stem of the broccoli into 1/8″ discs. If you can’t get them that thin, don’t worry, but the thinner the better if you have the patience!
Once you reach the crown of the broccoli, cut each of the florets off and slice each of them as thinly as you can as well. Set the broccoli in a bowl.
Halve and core the apples, then place the apples flat side down on your cutting board to make them easier to slice. Slice the apples into 1/8″ pieces as well, then dump them into the same bowl.
Choose either of the dressing options and prepare it by simply mixing the ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste it and season with more salt and pepper to match your preferences.
Pour the dressing over the bowl of vegetables and mix it all together.
If you put a plate in the fridge for 10 minutes before serving the salad, it’ll stay crisp slightly longer.
For the best presentation, pile the salad as high and tight as
you can manage.
Farming profitably continues to remain a challenge, though, due to rising costs, crop failure and poor weather, and fierce competition from the global food system. Buying local:
- Keeps money in the local economy
- Preserves family farms
- Reduces oil-dependent transportation costs
- Protects our local landscapes
- Ensures that fresh, healthy food stays available and affordable to all
That’s why, since 1993, CISA has led the way in developing initiatives that support farmers, create strong markets for their products, and build a thriving agriculture economy here in western Massachusetts.