What a wonderful couple weeks this has been! I’ve slowed my pace a little, cleaned my house a lot, caught up on some paperwork and had some fun with my kids 🙂 A little time away (or at home in my case), truly does refresh the soul! Now I’m back on the farm and ready to serve you up local organic produce all winter long. The hens have been relocated to their new home at a friend’s barn. Between himself and his bird-loving girls, the hens are loving life and laying well. While the hens lay very consistent, large sized brown eggs, every so often you get an odd one (pictured below). Here you can see an egg that did not form and one so large that it had 2 eggs and looks like it belongs to a duck! It’s fun to observe the surprises along the way! You might get the odd “double yolker” in your eggs, that is, if I can fit it in the carton.
I am back to doing some more creative cooking and it feels good! This Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage, Spinach and Feta recipe totally had my girl declaring me the “best mommy ever” and rediscovering a love of squash. Mr. Eng and my eldest ate it up happily, but my youngest fell asleep before dinner and was unable to cast his vote (sometimes the day is just too exciting for a 3 year old).
Next up we tried an Autumn Harvest Bowl with Sweet Potato, Apples & Quinoa over a bed of spinach. I think the kids weren’t quite sure what to think- this is a little out of our ordinary lineup, but all left the table satisfied with a nutrient dense meal. I think next time I will try a different dressing than the tahini maple one (I enjoyed it but tahini can be a little bitter if you are not used to it), and customize each kid’s salad a little to their preferences. For now I just wanted them to try it! And try they did. We ask our kids to try everything, and this has helped them develop a wider palate.
Thirdly, I’d better throw in a recipe for the celery root! This funny looking root vegetable has celery’s great refreshing taste with a texture that really goes well with soups & stews. I even peel and dice it and add to my taco meat mix. It’s also tasty and crisp served raw in salads. So why eat the stuff? Aside from it being locally available throughout the fall and winter, it’s a great source of fibre, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and minerals while being low-carb. Want to try a very easy recipe? Simply peel off those gangly roots till you have a solid ball, dice, boil and mash to make Mashed Celery Root, just like you would with potatoes. I’d love to know what you think!
I’m also dying to try this Savoy Cabbage Casserole with my Savoy Cabbage.
Enough with the recipes, I know you want to know what to expect in your deliveries this week (or you would be happily ignoring your emails and staying off the blog!).
Regular Sized Organic Winter Vegetable Shares
- 1 savoy cabbage (Zephyr Organics)
- 1 pepper/acorn squash (Zephyr Organics)
- 1 bunch carrots (Zephyr Organics)
- 2lbs celery root (Zephyr Organics/Pfennings Organics- Ontario)
- 3lbs Ontario sweet potatoes (Norfolk Organics)
- 2lbs Ontario red onions
- .4lb Ontario garlic
- 1 bunch spinach (Zephyr Organics)
- 1lb baby bokchoy (Zephyr Organics)
Family Sized Organic Winter Vegetable Shares
- 1 savoy cabbage (Zephyr Organics)
- 1 pepper/acorn squash (Zephyr Organics)
- 1 bunch carrots (Zephyr Organics)
- 2lbs celery root (Zephyr Organics/Pfennings Organics- Ontario)
- 5lbs Ontario sweet potatoes (Norfolk Organics)
- 2lbs Ontario red onions
- .4lb Ontario garlic
- 1 bunch spinach (Zephyr Organics)
- 1lb baby bokchoy (Zephyr Organics)
- 1 bunch golden beets
- 1 bunch leeks
- 1 savoy cabbage (Zephyr Organics)
- 1 pepper/acorn squash (Zephyr Organics)
- 1 bunch carrots (Zephyr Organics)
- 2lbs celery root (Zephyr Organics/Pfennings Organics- Ontario)
- 3lbs Ontario sweet potatoes (Norfolk Organics)
- 2lbs Ontario red onions
- .4lb Ontario garlic
- 1 bunch spinach (Zephyr Organics)
- 1lb baby bokchoy (Zephyr Organics)
Organic Fruit Shares
- 1 organic watermelon
- 2-3 large organic red grapefruits
- 2lbs Canadian organic honeycrisp apples
- 1lb organic strawberries
- 4 organic avocadoes
Hope you enjoy!