Week #51 - Worth the effort...

Many people have a favourite recipes that we make at this time of year. We haul out Grandma's shortbread or nanaimo recipes, prepare to make that special stuffing we only make once a year or enjoy some warm cider or eggnog that bring a rush of memories. 

This year, I've discovered a new favorite that will likely be a regular feature in my repertoire! Sundried tomato and basil pesto cheese torte is festive, yummy and impressive! 

Using a springform pan lined with plastic wrap, you layer a cream cheese/ricotta mixture with alternating layers of sundried tomato and then green basil pesto, freezing after each layer. It takes a day to make while you wait for it to freeze in between but it is well worth it! 

Once complete you cut in wedges with a hot knife and wrap individually. I keep them in the freezer, ready to grab and go. An impressive appetizer for any potluck! They kept well for months. 

If you don't have the ingredients or the patience to make your own pestos, you can always purchase them pre-made from your local farmers or small business shop. 

Interested in giving it a try? I found a number of different recipes on line by googling 'cream cheese sundried tomato basil pesto torte'. They were all fairly similar. Don't be scared off by various steps.... it is well worth it! 

Week #42 - Food shortcuts to extend your harvest

The fields are cleared and the majority of the harvest is canned, preserved or drying. As the last few weeks of Harvest 2016 wind down, I'm all about shortcuts to make our harvest last. 

Today I made sofrito, a mixture that you can make up when your tomatoes, peppers and onions are fresh and bountiful and fresh as a base for many recipes all winter. 

Sofrito is most commonly used a base for Latin, Puerto Rican, or Italian cooking... but in my mind, there are so many recipes that you need chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic and peppers that it is so handy to have some of this ready to go. Freeze it in ice cube trays and then pop out into freezer bags so that you can grab a tablespoon at a time or freeze flat in freezer bags (I do 2 cups per bag) so that you can grab for recipes all winter long. 

Of course, if you are short on freezer space, I imagine you could can sofrito using a water bath similar to salsa or pasta sauce. 

I use these storage tips for all kinds of garden produce. After making a batch of pesto from my basil harvest, I pop it into ice cube trays to access easier a bit at a time. 

This year we have a large number of sweet red peppers that are ripening late in the season (thanks to the late frost). One of the ways I extend our harvest of peppers, is to roast them, skin them and throw them into the vitamix (blender) along with a healthy amount of garlic. This mixture gets spooned into (you guessed it) ice cube trays and is used for pasta sauce, red pepper dip, and throwing into chili, stews and various sauces. 

What are your tips and tricks for extending your harvest and dealing with an overabundance of any one veggie at this time of year? 

Week #39 - Preparation and puppies

While the long range weather forecast is suggesting that the coming winter will be brutally cold and snowy on the Prairies, the fall has thus far been relatively warm and many veggies are continuing to produce and ripen. In fact some veggies do better in the fall with the cool nights than in the hot summer weathers. 

It is always a bit of a guessing game on when the first frost will occur and how long you can leave things out in the field. We need enough time to do prep for next spring but don't want to pull plants until we absolutely have to! The other factor of course, is how much processing, drying, canning and prep for storage you can do at one time!

This time of year, the kitchen is always full with canning salsa, pasta sauce, pickling and dehydrating, making soups to freeze and pesto galore! This week after our usual weekly batch of salsa and pasta sauce, we made a load of kale chips, roasted red pepper sauce, a huge batch of pesto and some late pickles out of the abundance of cucumbers we have left.

This coming week doesn't look like it will come with frost and we are hoping to gather up all the herbs for drying, dig up those that are coming in the house for the winter and mulch those that will weather the cold season outside.

Our last batch of chickens and turkeys will go in on Monday night this week, so hope for a dry night with light winds to make catching 200 birds in an open pasture a little more comfortable.

Our regular followers will know that Ozzie, a blue heeler puppy came to the farm last week and it looks like he might be a permanent resident! At 9-10 weeks old he creates chaos most of the time but compensates with a cuteness factor that is off the charts! We are hopeful that he will earn his keep working on the farm helping move livestock and keeping predators away but for now he's simply entertaining.



Hope your upcoming week has some puppies cuddles in it..... after all every week should, don't you think! 

FFF CSA - Week 7/12 - What's in the Box? - Pattypan and Pesto!

Our shareholders are going to need some solid muscles to move this weeks' box. As we move towards the fall, the produce becomes heavier and more dense in preparation for the cold weather. 

This week we add some wonderful cherry tomatoes, peppers and pattypan squash to the usual offerings. For those that are not familiar with pattypan or scallop squash, you are in for a treat! A mild summer squash that can be used in a variety of ways. You can chop it up and put it raw on your salad, bake it, stuff it, pickle it, make soup from it, and dry it into chips (with or without seasoning).  We call it the sunshine squash in our household for obvious reasons (looks like a tiny sun) and hope you enjoy it as much as we do! 

We also have tucked in a bag or two (depending upon share size) of basil this week as it is enjoying this weather and is growing rapidly. This presents a perfect opportunity to make some pesto! Below is a recipe that you can use as a guide either reducing or increasing the recipe depending on what you have on hand. 

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (can sub half the basil leaves with baby spinach or even carrot tops! )

1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan-Reggiano cheese (about 2 ounces)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts (can sub chopped walnuts, or even almonds)

3 garlic cloves, minced (about 3 teaspoons)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Chop basil, nuts and garlic very well or place in food processor. Add cheese, salt and pepper and oil. One of my favorite ways to keep pesto is by freezing it ice cube trays and then popping into a ziplock bag. That way when I just want a little bit I can grab a cube or two! Either way its important to store in an air tight container as basil will go dark if exposed to the air. 

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

• Swiss Chard
• Lettuce
• Beets
• Baby carrots
• Zucchini
• Cucumbers
• Potatoes
• Peppers New! 
• Rhubarb
• Pattypan squash New! 
• Apples 
• Cherry tomatoes New! 
• Basil

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. 

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Bounty of Basil

FFF Photo a Day  - 212

This weather has been great for our basil crop! We can't harvest it fast enough!

Lots of basil = lots of pesto! 

Week #4 - 2015 FFF CSA - What's in the Box - Pesto Please!

This past week, the weather has been a fickle master. You know what they say... 'if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change'... well that pretty sums up this past week. Lots of sunshine, lots of rain, lots of wind, lots of time looking up at the sky trying to predict what will happen next!                           

Most of the plants are enjoying this changeable weather with a few exceptions. The beans, spinach and cilantro are not happy... the basil, squash, & tomatoes are loving it!                     

Sorting peas for the CSA boxes!

Given the happy basil, I thought I would share with you my favorite pesto recipe... with a few ideas to try from your CSA box:

Basic Pesto recipe: (this is enough for one meal, increase recipe as you see fit)

1 cup fresh basil (could substitute all or a portion of the basil with fresh garden peas, carrot tops or fresh spinach as available)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup pine nuts (could substitute pine nuts (which can be expensive) with almonds or walnuts)

2 garlic cloves

salt and pepper to taste

The easiest way to make pesto is to put all ingredients into the food processor and process until a paste. If you don't have a food processor you can certainly chop all by hand and mix in a bowl. Pesto is good tossed in pasta, divine on pizza and wonderful in risotto! 

Pesto will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks or you can freeze it in ice cube trays and then put the cubes in a bag to be used one by one. Enjoy! 

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

• Lettuce (mixed greens in bag)
• Zucchini
• Carrots
• Peas
• Kale
• Spanish Onion
• Swiss Chard
• New potatoes
• Green chili peppers (relatively mild spicy pepper)
• Beets 
• Herbs in the red cup: 
• Oregano
• Chives
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Rosemary
• Basil - in small ziploc bag

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. 

Follow us on Facebook or on Twitter at @FenezFollies

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! 

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

• Swiss Chard
• Kale
• Rhubarb
• Lettuce (mixed greens in bag)
• Spinach (in bag)
• Zucchini
• Carrots
• Peppers (sweet)
• Beets (remember you can eat the beet greens too!)
• Herbs in the red cup: 
• Oregano
• Chives
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Rosemary
• Basil (for full shares only)

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. 

Follow us on Facebook or on Twitter at @FenezFollies