Please excuse the lame title: there’s a bit of a countdown going on here as we work our much colder bodies and hands through the last couple weeks of Farm Share. Some of you are receiving your last summer basket of 2021 this week (and some of you your second last).

We were pleasantly surprised by a very late crop of sweet corn that beat the odds and ripened up just in time. It looks like we may have our first frost by this time next week, so we are making sure we harvest the last of the sweet peppers and eggplants from the field. The brussels sprouts won’t mind at all, as the frost only makes them sweeter. Lettuce is finally done. New this week we have celery root or celeriac. Granted is is one of the ugliest veggies I have seen, but it sure is tasty! You can smell it and taste the rich celery taste which goes beautifully in soups, adds flavour to stir fries or even taco meat mix, or stands alone when mashed like potatoes. Try this Celeriac Mash Recipe.

We also included dandelion root in your boxes this week. They are certainly bitter in taste but pack a serious nutritional punch and benefitting your eyes, liver and heart, while helping with weight loss. I found this great infographic on draxe.com:

But what to do with this bitter green? You can sautee it with butter, garlic and/or bacon, for sure, or try this Dandelion Beet Green Pesto. The walnuts, nutritional yeast and feta or goat cheese balance out the bitter flavour of the greens and make a tasty sauce for pasta.

We also get to enjoy Brussels sprouts again this week, fresh on the stalk! If roasting them with Balsamic and Bacon is getting old for you, why not try roasting them with squash and cranberries instead? You may still have pepper squash and cranberries from previous farm shares. I wish we had butternut squash to send you but sadly didn’t get any at all this year due to a crop failure. If you just have to have butternut, you may need to stop by your local roadside stand. Get the recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash and Cranberries here.

And now for an original recipe!

When Doug and I went on our little anniversary getaway back in July, we went to a Thai & Vietnamese restaurant in the town of St. Jacobs. While we had a few wonderful dishes there, I really fell in love with the noodle bowl we ordered and I just had to try to recreate it. The awesome thing is, through buying prepared Pho broth from the store, it came together in like 20 minutes. I legit made and ate it on my lunch break, which is only 45 minutes long. That is speedy! I got to serve some to my father in law and aunt that work with me on the farm, and they loved it too!

Baby Bokchoy Udon Noodle Bowl

Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side

Ingredients

• 3/4 carton of pho broth (I used Campbells- I wonder if you can buy this organically). Their recipe uses ginger and star anise for the distinct Pho taste
• 2-3 organically fed, pasture-raised eggs
• 1 small package udon noodles (the kind I bought was divided into 4 packs about the size of my hand and I used one)
• 1 small-medium organic baby bokchoy, quartered lengthwise
• 1-2 tbsp. organic leeks, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Empty 3/4 of contents of a 1L carton of Pho broth into a medium saucepan. Add eggs still in shells and bring to a boil over med-high heat.
2. Turn down heat and let simmer for 5-6 minutes to boil eggs in broth, adding noodles baby bokchoy and leeks in last 3 minutes of cooking.(read package directions to decide when to add your noodles- mine said 3 minutes to warm them as they were pre-cooked).
3. Remove eggs carefully with a slotted spoon and peel after letting cool for a couple minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cut eggs in half (with shells removed).
4. Serve soup into 3 bowls, adding the egg halves 1-2 in each. Note: I had this as my main and served 2 others as a side dish.

Enjoy!

Your Farm Shares this Week:

Simply 6

• bunch carrots
• bunch beets
• bag of russet potatoes
• stalk or bag of brussels sprouts
• 1lb baby bokchoy
• 1lb+ celery root

Half

• bunch carrots
• bunch beets
• bag of russet potatoes
• stalk or bag of brussels sprouts
• 1lb baby bokchoy
• 1lb+ celery root
• sweet peppers
• bunch parsley
• dandelion greens
• sweet corn

Whole

• bunch carrots
• bunch beets
• bag of russet potatoes
• stalk or bag of brussels sprouts
• 1lb baby bokchoy
• 1lb+ celery root
• sweet peppers
• bunch parsley
• dandelion greens
• sweet corn
• pint grape tomatoes
• 1lb eggplant
• onions
• bunch collard greens (make great wraps or chop and sautee like other greens)
• squash or alternate item

Fruit

• 1 large organic pineapple
• 5 organic bartlett pears (BC)
• 3 organic oranges
• 1/2 pint organic blueberries
• bunch of organic bananas

Fruit Recipe

I had some rather bruised and sad looking bartlett pears that had gotten bumped one too many times and were looking less than appealing. I hated to waste such wonderful organic fruit and tend to get night cravings for sweets. I stumbled upon a great little recipe. If you are not impatient like me, you could bake these in the oven.

Baked Maple Cinnamon Bartlett Pears

Ingredients

• 2 bartlett pears, skins removed if desired, sliced in half lengthwise and pits removed.
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. real maple syrup (I used Pefferlaw Creek Organic Maple Syrup-yum!)
• Yogurt, whipped cream or ice cream to serve (optional)
• several pecans (optional)
• sprinkling of cinnamon

Directions

1. Peel, core and slice in half lengthwise 2 ripe bartlett pears and place inside up in a small microwavable bowl or pyrex glass dish. Top with brown sugar and drizzle with maple syrup and cook for 2 minutes on high or until soft.
2. Remove pear halves with a spoon and cook liquid for an extra 2 minutes on high or until thickened. Return pear halves to dish and spoon syrupy liquid over them. Sprinkle with cinnamon and top with yogurt or whipped or ice cream if using as well as pecans if using.
3. Grab a spoon and dig in! I shared with my daughter (who was supposed to be in bed) and she enjoyed it too but says peeling is a must).

 

Enjoy! And Enjoy the Fall Weather:)