Hello there!
I have these conversations every year- sometimes people wonder why they are not seeing some of their favourite veggies in June. Who can blame them? Shopping at grocery stores without scrutinizing the country of origin, you may come to think that everything is in season! Have you ever grown your own flowers before? On the seed packet, there are a number of days given to when you can expect germination (when the seed starts to grow) and when the flowers will bloom. For veggies, this growth takes time, with the heaviest items often taking the longest (ie. squash). Many of these items grow outdoors and will not tolerate frost….so this means waiting until the end of May (and my, this year, even into June until they can be planted). The items you see in your boxes right now are mostly perennials (like asparagus) or quick-growing items such as radishes. Radishes take an amazing 40 days from seed to harvest (lightning fast), whereas lettuce takes 60 days or so, and some items take up to 120 days, which is 4 months.
Thank goodness for our greenhouses which allowed us to plant frost sensitive items like cucumbers nice and early, so we can enjoy them early. Carrots are here early because of the greenhouse as well. Peas were coming from the greenhouse these last 2 weeks, but this week we begin the first crop from the field.
Part of this farm share journey is learning to eat with the seasons. It’s an adventure that means trying new recipes, giving the non-favourite veggie items another try or 2, and rediscovering new tastes and colours when fresh and in season. In the end, I believe this will only increase your enjoyment of the flavours of each item. Imagine you ate birthday cake every day of the week (I do not advise this, lol). Would it feel special on birthdays? In the same way, not eating certain veggies when out of season makes them that much more enjoyable when they arrive.
I hope you enjoy the journey!
Here is this week’s 100 percent in season grown on our farm lineup!
Simply 6
- Romaine lettuce (field lettuce is here- hooray!!)
- Bunch Spinach
- Bunch Asparagus
- Bunch garlic scapes
- pint snow peas
- 2 cucumbers
Half Shares
- Romaine lettuce (field lettuce is here- hooray!!)
- Bunch Spinach
- Bunch Asparagus
- Bunch garlic scapes
- pint snow peas
- 2 cucumbers
- 1lb baby bokchoy
- 1 bunch radish
- 1 bunch carrots
- Red leaf lettuce
Whole Shares
- Romaine lettuce (field lettuce is here- hooray!!)
- Bunch Spinach
- Bunch Asparagus
- Bunch garlic scapes
- pint snow peas
- 2 cucumbers
- 1lb baby bokchoy
- 1 bunch radish
- 1 bunch carrots
- Red leaf lettuce
- large bokchoy
- spring onions
- bunch mint
- bunch purple top turnip or kohlrabi
- pint strawberries or 1lb rhubarb (strawberries in very short supply while we deal with a pest issue)
Fruit
- organic honeydew melon
- 6 organic bartlett pears
- 4-5 organic peaches
- 5 organic valencia oranges
- 1/2 pint organic blueberries
Recipes
This week I am sharing a fast supper idea, ’cause on a Monday, I need easy!
from “Simply in Season” by Mary-Beth Lind & Cathleen Hockman-Wert
Sausage Asparagus Skillet
Ingredients
- 1lb bulk sausage
- 1 medium onion or chopped spring onion
- 4-5 medium potatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1lb asparagus cut into 1 inch lengths.
- 1/2 cup cheese (sprinkle on top).
Directions
- Fry sausage and onion together until lightly browned. Drain fat. (I find I need to use a little oil when cooking sausage)
- Add chopped potatoes, water, salt and pepper, cover, and simmer 10 minutes.
- Add asparagus and simmer an additional 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add extra water if necessary.
Spinach Squares
Ingredients
- 3 pastured raised organic eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking flour
Mix first 5 ingredients together.
- 2 1/2 cups cheese, shredded
- 8 ounces/250g fresh spinach or sorrel
Mix in and press into greased square baking pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until knife comes out clean, 30-35 mins.
Garlic Scape Pizza
They may look slightly alien, but those funny curly little guys in your boxes this week are garlic scapes, or the tops of garlic plants. Popping them off actually helps the plant grow, while giving you an amazing super-garlicky treat which can be used anywhere you can garlic. We enjoyed these along with some basil on our pizza this weekend, and here’s a Garlic Scape Pizza Recipe so you can too!
Need Bok Choy Recipes? Check out last week’s blog, just a scroll or a click away ;).
Enjoy Eating With the Seasons!