It’s here- the final week of Farm Share, accompanied by a rather conclusive frost. We experienced temperatures of minus 7 with clear skies, which spells doom for almost everything left in the field. Even the peppers and eggplants in the greenhouse hang their leaves in defeat. Two surprising survivors are parsley, which looks great save a few stems closest to the ground, and the carrot tops, which are still firm and green.
Call me crazy, but this heavy frost gives me a sense of relief from the very physical work of work out in the fields, which gets less appealing as the cold temperatures and fewer hours of sunlight discourage your muscles from cooperating. I wonder- do Canadians have a lower economic output in the winter, because between the cold and dark it sure seems like our beds try to keep us a little longer. I think us Canadians are a hardy bunch in that we do carry on. Maybe we just need some peppy music, a strong cup of java, and some hearty, nutritious meals to fuel us!
Half Shares
- Black kale (remember, it makes a great addition to pastas, soups or eggs, or even raw, massaged with olive oil and tossed with lemon juice, salt, pepper and yeast nutrition flakes- thank you Lyne 😉
- Baby bokchoy (also stellar in salad or chicken soup)
- Red swiss chard
- Pepper squash (see recipe below)
- Red beets (see recipe below)
- Carrots
- Green cabbage
- Leeks
- Parsley
- Jerusalem artichokes (see recipe below)
Whole Shares
- Black kale (remember, it makes a great addition to pastas, soups or eggs, or even raw, massaged with olive oil and tossed with lemon juice, salt, pepper and yeast nutrition flakes- thank you Lyne 😉
- Baby bokchoy (also stellar in salad or chicken soup)
- Red swiss chard
- Pepper squash (see recipe below)
- Red beets (see recipe below)
- Carrots
- Green cabbage
- Leeks
- Parsley
- Jerusalem artichokes
- Honeycrisp apples
- Garlic chives
- Red radish
- Green peppers
- Celery root (probably the ugliest of veggies, but it is adds great celery flavor to taco meat, soups and stews without overpowering the other flavours)
Recipes
Dairy-Free Jerusalem Artichoke Shepherd’s Pie (my own concoction, so feel free to modify the quantities at your discretion)
(Can be modified to be vegetarian as well). A good option for helping a meat-and-potatoes family consume embrace Jerusalem artichokes.
Ingredients
- 1lb. ground meat or meat substitute
- ½ lb. celery root
- ½ cup beef or vegetable broth
- 1 tsp. Montreal steak spice seasoning (garlic, salt and pepper)
- 1 lb. Jerusalem artichokes, washed
- ½ lb. potatoes, peeled
- 1 cup or more rice or almond/coconut milk
- 1 tbsp. olive/canola oil
- 2 cups frozen peas (I cheated on this one)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat meat on medium in medium sized skillet until lightly browned, Add celery root and Montreal steak spice and, add broth and sautee until celery root is soft. Place in bottom of deep casserole dish (I used 8 in. round CorningWare dish that’s about 3 in. deep.)
- Meanwhile, boil medium-sized pot with lightly salted water. Wash Jerusalem artichokes (no need to peel), chop coarsely if desired. Peel and cut medium-sized potatoes into quarters. Add Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes to boiling water and cook until tender. Drain and add 1 cup rice milk or more, a dash of salt and pepper and 1 tbsp. oil and mix with hang mixer until desired consistency.
- Layer frozen peas over the meat mixture. Then place artichoke mixture overtop and smooth out. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes, until heated through.
Roasted Winter Vegetable Medley with Goat Cheese
I brought this one to a pot luck when I was short on time and came home with an empty dish- victory! Maybe this will help me get over my fear of pot-lucks. 😉
Ingredients
- 1 medium sized pepper squash, peeled and chopped into 1-1 ½” cubes
- 1 bunch of beet roots, peeled and chopped into 1-1 1/2’” cubes
- Yellow-flesh potatoes, cut into 1-1 1/2” cubes (or sub in carrots or Jerusalem artichokes for those who don’t eat potatoes)
- 1-2 tbsp. olive oil (or enough to coat)
- 150g crumbled goat feta (I used Woolwich Dairy that comes in a brick form)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: fresh parsley to garnish
Directions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and peel squash and beets. Chop them along with potatoes and place in casserole dish. Add olive oil, salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Sprinkle with goat feta.
- Cover dish (I used a 9×13” glass dish) with tin foil and bake for approximately 1 hour or until veggies are tender when pierced with fork. Enjoy! Makes 6-8 servings.
Quick Indian-Style Spinach and Chickpeas
Fellow farm-sharer Keren sent me this recipe. Sounds like the perfect thing to gets some greens into my son. I think I may try it with black kale until we have spinach again.
http://onehungrymama.com/2011/09/recipe-winning-quick-indian-style-spinach-and-chickpeas/
Ingredients
- 2 10-ounce packages frozen spinach, defrosted (scratch that- use fresh or try black kale)
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1/2-3/4 teaspoons minced (or grated) fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon finely minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Combine spinach (don’t include any water that’s drained out of the spinach, but you don’t need to squeeze the spinach either) and your preferred broth in a powerful blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Set spinach puree aside.
2. Heat butter in a medium pan over medium-low heat. As soon as it melts, add the ginger (1/2 teaspoon for a more mild ginger flavor; I use 3/4 teaspoon for a stronger flavor) and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garam masala, cumin, coriander and curry powder. Toast the spices for 3-4 minutes, until they are fragrant and take on a deep color. If the garlic begins to brown or the spices darken quickly, lower your heat. This is a gentle process to ensure that your ground spices release their oils and keep from imparting a powdery flavor. (This dish will taste significantly better when made with fresh spices.)
3. Add spinach puree to the pan, along with the lemon juice. Cook for about a minute, to bring the flavors together, then add the chickpeas. Continue cooking until the chickpeas are heated through and all of the watery liquid cooks down leaving a puree (with a consistency like baby food). Add more broth if you end up needing to make adjustments to the consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Suggestion: serve with rice.
*Note: Be sure to mash or puree the chickpeas into the spinach for babies not yet managing larger chunks.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Farm Share customers like you are amazing because they…
- Really, truly believe in local, organic food.
- Value freshness and taste over cookie-cutter veggies.
- Experiment with new varieties and get creative in the kitchen for their good health.
- Reduce food waste and the use of fossil fuels and thus have itty, bitty, carbon footprints.
- Support Organics for Orphans- an organization which brings self-sufficiency and amazing, nutrient-dense organic foods to some of the most vulnerable people in the most impoverished nations.
http://www.organics4orphans.org/
- Remind me with their enthusiasm of why I keep farming and connecting families like yours to our tasty veggies.
So thank you, thank you, thank you. You have eaten your way to a positive change this season. May you be blessed with great health to enjoy your every day with the people you love.