Random Follies: greens

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Tuesday, 5 July 2016

FFF CSA Week 2/12 - What's in the Box - Rosemary, rhubarb and a floral treat!

It's Week #2 of our weekly box of goodness and I see many glorious salads in your future! The rains have been aplenty this past month, meaning so too are the green leafies.

I often call this time of year.. the "almost' time.... as many things are almost ready but not quite! If we could get some dry, warm weather we should have some beans, peas, and perhaps some baby carrots shortly. But we still have lots of deliciousness for you, not to worry.

In this week's herb bundle, you will find a sprig of violas! Did you know that violas (Johnny Jump Ups) are edible!? For something new and different, pinch the flower off and pop it in your next salad. They have an interesting sweet flavour and it impresses the heck out of family and friends. :)

Rosemary is also tucked into the herbs this week. Besides tasting wonderful, rosemary has so many beneficial properties! You can add it to food, steep it for tea or my favorite.. burn it .... has a wonderful cleansing, uplifting aroma that chases away any germs.

Our CSA shareholders will receive their second batch of rhubarb this week and may be in need of a few ideas of what to do with all this bounty! Rhubarb is great in so many yummy recipes, most people have a few family favorites.

Rhubarb pie or crisp is great and throw in some fresh local strawberries or saskatoons for a great variation. There are also lots of rhubarb muffin or coffee cake recipes out there. You can make a chutney or jam or compote, heck you can even pickle it!

And if you run out of time or ideas, you can freeze it as well.... simply chop it up into 1/2 inch pieces and lay out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper and pop in the freezer. Once the pieces are frozen you can put them all inside a bag or container. Laying them out to freeze ensures that they don't freeze in one large mass making it impossible to remove just a cup or two for future recipes!

So... What's in the Box this week?

Rhubarb
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Lettuce
Kale
Turnip Greens
Zucchini (for Full shares only)
New Potatoes
Bouquet of various herbs including:

Chives
Parsley (flat and curled)
Cilantro
Dill (full shares)
Basil
Rosemary
Oregano
Sprig of violas

Note: We do rinse the produce but it would be prudent to wash all vegetables when you get them home. Keeping the herbs (ends) in a cup of clean water will keep them fresh longer. (unless of course, you are drying them for storage later.)

Reminder: Please return your empty box along with all re-usable containers (ice cream pails, plastic containers, etc) so that we can reuse them all over again.

Monday, 9 November 2015

Harnessing the power of green

FFF Photo a Day - Day 314

The mild fall weather has meant an seemingly unending supply of cold weather greens such as kale, spinach, swiss chard and lettuce.

Besides eating them fresh daily, we prepare for winter by drying them and making green powder to use through those cold months when getting your greens is difficult. #harnessthegreen

Thursday, 24 September 2015

Green power

FFF Photo a Day - Day 268

Tonight's task is making more green veggie powder! We dry our various greens from the garden and grind them into powder that keeps through the winter It helps you get those needed greens the throughout the cold season.

We throw the powder into smoothies, stews, sauces and soups to boost the nutritional power of the overall dish!

Tuesday, 14 July 2015

Week #3 - 2015 FFF CSA - What's in the Box! - The Importance of Keeping Dry!

If you have been following our blog or social media posts this week, you will know that the farm got hit hard by heavy rain and wind on Monday night. Time will tell how the veggies will fair but we really didn't want/need any more rain after some of the heavy downpours last weekend! Alas, we are used to the fickle weather gods and will adapt!

Despite the rain, we have a number of new treats to share in our CSA boxes! Our peas are ready and there is truly little on earth better than fresh garden peas! My personal opinion is the best way to eat them is standing in the garden....however, a close second would be simply eating them raw (shelled or pod and all) as soon as you get them home! Our shareholders will find a snack of peas in their box this week!

Potatoes are ready to go and with all the rain we are a bit concerned that they will rot in the ground if we leave them, so the boxes contain some tasty nuggets!

New potatoes are small and sweet. (their sugar has not yet been converted to starch). They don't have thick skins and rarely need to be peeled. Simply give them a scrub and pop in the pot to boil. Served with butter and salt or even cooled and tossed into a salad... a new potato is unlike the potato that you will get in the fall - so experiment!

Lastly I wanted to share with you a tip or two for extending the life of the greens that you find in your box each week (or that you pick up from the store). As most are packed wet after rinsing, they can become mushy if not tended to when you get them home. In our house, we often use the ziplock produce bags that you can get at the grocery store. I find that they are worth in the investment (and we re-use them over and over). However, if you don't have these special bags, other plastic bags will work... the trick is to ensure that the greens are as dry as possible. Therefore, I recommend that you take the greens out of the bag/pail and lay them out on papertowel and then roll the whole thing up like a jelly roll. Storing the greens inside the papertowel in a plastic bag ensures it lasts a much longer time!

So in summary... What's in the Box this week?

Rhubarb
Lettuce (mixed greens in bag)
Zucchini
Carrots
Peas
New potatoes
Spring turnips (turnip greens are edible too!)
Broccoli (for full shares only)
Peppers (spicy)
Beets
Herbs in the red cup:

Oregano
Chives
Parsley
Cilantro
Basil

Notes to our CSA Share holders:

We pick the vegetables within 24 hours of the box being delivered. We do rinse the produce but it would be important to wash all vegetables before you eat them. Keeping the herbs (ends) in a cup of clean water will keep them fresh longer.

Please return your empty box along with all re-usable containers (pails, cups, bags etc) so that we can reuse them all over again.

Tuesday, 7 July 2015

Week #2 - 2015 FFF CSA - What's in the Box! - Top Notch!

Week two of twelve is upon us and the recent rain was welcomed by the plants but complicates picking by making it very muddy... Yesterday's cooler temps was nice to work in however!

This time of year you will get lots of greenery in your box... the lettuce, spinach, kale and swiss chard are yummy, nutritious and pretty straightforward. This week however, I wanted to remind you that you can also use the beet & carrot tops too!

Yes, both beets and carrot greens can be used in salads, smoothies, in pesto and sauces.

If you are a fan of pesto, simply replace the basil in your typical pesto recipe with chopped carrot greens and you have a interesting and delicious twist on an old favorite.

Beet greens while good raw, can be sauteed with some butter or oil and eaten like spinach... throw in some garlic and its pure heaven!