Waking Up the Blog: 2022 Summer Shares June 7-11

Hello Farm Share People!

This week we have some of the faithful spring stand bys like asparagus, spinach, baby bokchoy and radish, and some other spring surprises like parsnips. These root veggies are a late planting that stays in the field through the winter and is ready for harvest in the spring. These have got to be the cutest parsnips I have ever seen! They are not as sweet as their fellow root the carrot, but they have a lovely rich flavour (and scent) when roasted and add a little complexity of flavour to dishes like chicken pot pie. Give these little cuties a scrub and get ready for a new taste sensation. Here’s a simple recipe to guide you.
We also have some fresh oregano. If you are unfamiliar with oregano, it’s a favourite in Italian dishes. If there is pasta or cheese involved, oregano complements it well. To make things easy, just wash your bunch of oregano and start chopping the leaves with some kitchen scissors. I love using scissors for herbs, so easy, and you can chop them right into your dish. Tonight’s dinner was shrimp alfredo that we featured the fresh oregano in and of course a nice salad with our fresh from the fields romaine lettuce. Spinach and asparagus would have also been awesome in with the pasta, and add some interest if you want to make it a vegetarian dish.
Some of the fan favourites making their appearance this week are cucumbers and lettuce. Did you know cucumbers can give you an amazing boost in energy? Hydration and vitamins all in one. We like to peel and slice ours and let it soak a little in some vinegar, seasoning with salt and pepper. I call them “lazy pickles”, and they are one of the most refreshing summer treats that it’s awesome to have ready when you feel like a little something. Coming very soon are snow peas and greenhouse carrots, as well as garlic scapes (crazy curly garlic tops that taste just like, well, garlic!)

So, funny story. We grew patio tomatoes for our whole shares. I bought the wrong seeds 1 or 2 times, planted some self-harvested seeds that never germinated, and finally came up with about 40 good plants, lovingly planted in pots ready to send to you. Then they accidentally got planted in with the field tomatoes, so this week I am “unplanting them” to send to the whole share members. The patio tomatoes are great to live in a container (no garden required) and produce small and sweet cherry tomatoes. You could consider transplanting them when they outgrow their pots or offering them a little support with a couple wood dowels or a small tomato cage. We hope you enjoy them after their long journey. I wish I had enough for all of you, but alas, I tried!

Remember: we offer some great local, natural, and organic goodies in our farm store  which can be delivered right to your door. We have a small amount of organic fed whole chickens and cuts  like chicken breast, whole ducks, coffee, maple syrup and honey, soaps, lip balm and a “winter salve” that’s perfect for problem skin like super dry skin or conditions like eczema or psoriasis. We also have lots of our wonderful pastured & organic fed eggs.
Check out the farm store goodies here.

Recipe: Spinach Alfredo Pasta

From the Kitchen of Jessie

You will need…

• Yellow/White onion
• Spinach
• Oregano
• Panko
• Italian seasoning
• Pasta (chef’s choice)
• Alfredo sauce (or rosé sauce)

Directions

1. Add 10 cups of water and a teaspoon of salt to a large pot and bring to a boil.  When water boils, add the pasta of your choosing and cook according to its instructions (usually 8-10 minutes).

While water boils…

1. Wash and chop spinach.
2. Dice onion.
3. Wash and chop oregano.

While pasta cooks…

1. Add panko to a non-stick pan and toast for 3-4 minutes.
2. Remove toasted panko from pan.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the same pan.
4. Once butter is melted, add onions and spinach to pan.
5. Cook until the onion is softened (3-4 minutes).

Once pasta is cooked and drained…

1. Add alfredo sauce to pan with vegetables.
2. Add pasta to pan and stir together.

Serve pasta topped with toasted panko and fresh oregano.

Recipe: Bok Choy Salad (a repeat from last week in case you missed it).

Serves 4. From thecozyapron.com
Bok choy is back! And when it’s this fresh and that beautiful, it seems a shame to cook it! Try this tasty asian inspired salad.

Ingredients

• 1lb baby bok choy, rinsed and dried, then thinly sliced, only discarding the bottom of the core
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 8 radishes, sliced into thin matchsticks, or thin slices
• 1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds for garnish
• my add: chopped green onions, to taste

Sesame-Soy Vinaigrette Ingredients

• 2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp. raw honey
• 3 tbsps. rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
• 3 tbsps. avocado or other neutral oil

Directions

1. Begin by gathering and washing/prepping salad ingredients according to instructions above.
2. Add the sliced bok choy, carrots and radishes to a bowl and chill in the fridge while you prep the dressing.
3. Prep dressing ingredients and add to a mason jar with lid and shake them until well combined.
4. Remove liquid and pat rounds down with paper towel until dry.
5. Toss salad in dressing right before serving and garnish with sesame seeds.

Tip: think low and slow and WATCH those sesame seeds. I have burned a batch or 2 in my day. You just want them lightly browned, not a deep colour change.

Enjoy!

Bonus Idea: Grill your bok choy by tossing lightly in olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper and cooking in a grill basket in your barbecue. Stir for more even cooking, and remove when white stems are tender-crisp. Serve with grilled steak and chow mein noodles seasoned with sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic and ginger.

Recipe: How to Roast Asparagus

We also enjoyed some of our own organic-fed chicken wings with roasted asparagus and yellow potatoes this week. When roasting asparagus, if some of your spears are fatter than others, simply cut the extra chubby ones in half lengthwise for even and quicker cooking. Thicker spears do not mean they are woody at all. Try them and you’ll see that delicious and tender asparagus comes in many sizes. The thicker stalks come from more mature plants (much of our plantings are 20 or more years old!). We have some new rows that just started this year (around 3 years after being planted), but I found them to be actually way too skinny! They’ll be a little bigger next year.

Roasting asparagus is one of the easier ways to enjoy them and so delicious. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, wash your asparagus and toss it in olive oil or italian salad dressing. Season as desired with salt and pepper. Bake for about 12 minutes or until tender-crisp or until desired doneness. Not all kids go bonkers for asparagus, but I find our youngest prefers it raw! The other 2 prefer it in pasta or the heads on goat cheese on a cracker. I’m all about giving the kids a chance to try different veg even if not every one is a hit! Gott get those vitamins in, and one day they’ll find themselves enjoying a wide range of foods.

Your Farm Shares this Week:

Simply 6

• bunch spinach
• head romaine lettuce
• bunch parsnips (not sure what to do? try this recipe)
• bunch radish
• bunch asparagus
• cucumbers

Half Share

• bunch spinach
• head romaine lettuce
• bunch parsnips
• bunch radish
• bunch asparagus
• cucumbers
• bunch green onions or leeks
• 1lb baby bokhoy (so good in a stir fry!)
• 1 bunch rhubarb (makes a great cake or “jam” when stewed with some sugar)
• bunch oregano

Whole Shares

• bunch spinach
• head romaine lettuce
• bunch parsnips
• bunch radish
• bunch asparagus
• cucumbers
• bunch green onions or leeks
• 1lb baby bokhoy (so good in a stir fry!)
• 1 bunch rhubarb (makes a great cake or “jam” when stewed with some sugar)
• bunch oregano
• patio tomato plant
• 2^nd bunch asparagus
• 1.5lbs yellow or white potatoes
• bunch kale
• garlic scapes or snow peas

Fruit (all organic, all the time)

• 1lb strawberries
• 4-5 bartlett pears
• 5 oranges
• 1lb kiwis
• 2 mangosEgg Shares

  The size of eggs may vary- we have one flock of older hens that started laying last year. Their eggs are large and lighter in colour. The new girls, who just starting laying, give us smaller brown eggs. I am mixing them in together to make sure it’s fair 🙂

Bon Apetit!