Week 4

In your box this week you will find:

Baby Carrots
Beets
Kale
Potatoes
Radish Pods
Snow & Snap Peas
Swiss Chard
Zucchini & Summer Squash

Sage & Pineapple Sage
Flat Italian & Curly Leaf Parsley

Things at the farm are moving along but at a slower pace than most seasons.  All this cool weather is delaying some crops but very soon we hope to be harvesting cabbage, broccoli, beans, and cucumbers.  Keep your fingers crossed for some hot weather in August!

Third Week's a Charm

This wet and colder weather makes things a bit uncertain as far as harvest goes so we may make some different harvest morning decisions but this is what we are planning on for week 3:
 
Baby Beets
New Potatoes
Salad Mix
Spring Onions
Sugar and Snap Peas
Swiss Chard
Turnips

Parsley
Rosemary

The zucchini almost made it in the box this week but fell a bit short.  With a little bit more time (and sun would be nice as well) the summer squash (this includes zucchini) will be coming on strong and showing up in a variety of shapes and colours in your harvest box.

The farm has been covered with beneficial Lady Beetles lately. 

A bee visiting the Borage flowers that will be in your salad mix this week.

Italian Largo Heirloom Zucchini.  Almost ready for harvest!

Zucchini Blossom

Mustard Leaf Daal and Hot & Sour Soup (with Beets!!!)

Two more great recipes from CSA member Kat.  There are lots of beets that will be in your boxes in the coming weeks for the hot and sour soup.  If you can believe it's too hot for anything it is actually too hot for the mustard greens and tatsoi but they will be back for the fall.  Something for now and something to look forward to.  Enjoy.

Mustard Leaf Daal

 

Ingredients:

1 bunch mustard leaf, chopped

1 bunch tatsoi 

1 tomato chopped

1 white onion

2 cloves crushed

5 cups of green lentils

2 tbsp garam massala

2 tbsp stone ground mustard

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt to taste

This savoury dish serves four people. I looked on the internet for a lentil and mustard leaf dish, and I found that a lot of them use an ingredient called mustard oil.  I'm using stone ground mustard instead to bring out the tartness of the mustard leaf.

1. Soak the dry green lentils for a few hours before boiling them to save boiling time.  I put the lentils on to boil while I chop veggies.  There's a trick to boiling beans, you have to bring them up to a boil, and reduce the heat a little.  This stops the pot from over-boiling.  Some people add salt at this stage.  

2. Chop all the veggies.  

3. When the lentils are soft, and still a little al dente, you can saute the onions and the garlic in olive oil. When the onions start to turn clear, add the tomatoes, and cook those a bit.  

4. Add the mustard and the and the spices.

5. Drop in the chopped mustard leaf and tatsoi.  Be careful not to overcook them.

6. Drain the lentils, and combine with the veggies.

Daal is usually served as a meal ender, it's full of protein (if you eat it with rice), and gives a feeling of fullness.

Hot and Sour Soup (with Beets!!!)

6 brown button mushrooms

1 bunch of beets, including the tops, sliced

3 carrots sliced

2 bell peppers sliced

3 cloves of garlic crushed

1 white onion sliced

1 cup or so soy light sauce/wheat free tamari (you can use less, it's to taste)

1 cup or so white rice vinegar

2 tbsp of cayenne pepper powder (or use your judgement)

5-8 cups water

1/2 cup corn starch, dissolved in cold water (thickens)

There's a little bit of history behind this soup, which is to say I have fused borscht and Chinese hot and sour soup.This soup feeds a small army, 8 people at least.  Maybe even twice.  It is hot!  You might get sniffly while you eat it.  I use it as a starter for Vegetarian Chinese Feasts (VCFs).

1. Slice every vegetable thinly and evenly,  I like to use my small army that I'm going to feed for help.

2. Throw the mushrooms, carrots, beets (not the tops yet, that's for later), peppers onion, and garlic into a big pot.

3. Put in enough water to cover, and bring it up to a boil. and then reduce heat a bit.

4. Cook for 7mins or so while you stir.

5. Add the beet tops, the soy sauce, the vinegar, and the cayenne.  Cook another 4 minutes, and taste it.  Now you should be able to figure out if you need to adjust the soup to taste.

6. Add the cornstarch mix, and stir it while the soup thickens.

7. Let stand off the heat until it's safe to eat..

 

 

Harvest Number Two

I hope everyone enjoyed the first harvest box last week and are ready for the next one.  I know I have been enjoying the green onions on everything and the turnips just on their own.  This week the box will include a healthy dose of greens with the first harvests of some root crops like beets and potatoes.  With the little bit of sun and heat we have had these last couple of weeks flowers are starting to bloom on the tomatoes and peppers and the beginnings of tiny little summer squashes are starting to form.  Here is what you will find in your harvest box this week:

Gai lan 
Green onions
New potatoes
Salad beets with their tops
Salad Mix
Summer turnips
Red Russian Kale

English and lemon thyme
Lemon Balm