FFF CSA - Week 8/12 - What's in the Box - Sunshine in your mouth!

Week eight of our twelve week CSA share, is here and so begins the true bounty of tomotoes. While everyone got a taste of cherry tomatoes last week, this week everyone will be truly enjoying the ecstasy of no spray, sun ripen tomatoes. Like sunshine in your mouth! 

As the bounty of tomatoes begins, you may be dreaming of salsa and pasta sauce! I made my first batch of salsa on the weekend and am looking forward to many more. My two favorite ways to make salsa are fresh and oven roasted: 

Fresh - Simply put, cut all ingredients (tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers) raw and place in bowl. Add lime juice, apple cider vinegar, cumin and herbs (cilantro and/or basil). And enjoy! Note: I'm sure I frustrate everyone with my lack of quantities... my apologies, my favorite way to make anything is test as you go. (except in baking... that doesn't end well). If you want more specific instruction... Chef Google should be able to give you a more exact recipe! 

Oven roasted - put whole or halved tomatoes, onions, garlic and peppers (remove insides and seeds) into roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, roast in oven on 300 degrees for about 30-45 min. Place all in bowl and using an immersion blender, blend contents until desired consistency (I like mine chunky). Add lime juice, cider vinegar, cumin and herbs. Can in mason jars using the water bath method for about 10 minutes. 

Some of you will notice that you have or have had some weird looking cucumbers in your box! The pale green, wrinkly looking thing is an Armenian cucumber! Sometimes called the snake melon, this is a new variety of cucumber that we tried this year. Crunchier than regular slicing cucumbers, with greener flesh they grow over a foot long before they are ready to be harvested. Let us know what you think! 

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

• Swiss Chard
• Lettuce
• Beets
• Baby carrots
• Zucchini
• Cucumbers
• Potatoes
• Peppers 
• Rhubarb
• Pattypan squash
• Apples 
• Tomatoes
• Radishes
• Beans
• Onions
• Herbs in a cup - oregano, parsley, chives, rosemary, 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. 

Follow us on Facebook or on Twitter at @FenezFollies

Week #32 - August Sunday kitchen tour

Our kitchen is the centre of our house both literally as well as symbolically. 

Dominated by a huge table made by our oldest son that can comfortably sit 10-12 people, there is always something going on in this room. In August, that is particularly true as harvest is in full swing and there is generally some food being cooked, dried, fermented or frozen. 

Today, for example, we have a few things in process...

-Fresh tomatoes, onions and peppers ready to be roasted for a new batch of salsa

-Apple/Peach pie filling simmering in the slow cooker

-My first batch of kombucha is bubbling along! 

-My sourdough starter is getting its weekly feeding (not shown)

-Ever present bins of produce waiting to be processed or packed into our CSA boxes.

.... and the obligatory pile of dirty dishes

What's cooking in your kitchen this week? 

It's Salsa Time!

FFF Photo a Day - Day 232

Tonight's task was turning our mountain of cherry tomatoes into fresh salsa! 

Nothing better.....

Week #7 - 2015 FFF CSA - What's in the Box! - It's Salsa Time!

There are several ways to make salsa but generally, there is the fresh, uncooked salsa or the cooked version. Decision about which method is for you, depend upon whether you are planning on eating this right away and/or if you want to be able to store the salsa for later use.

If fresh is your pleasure, then salsa is easypeasy!

Simply cut/dice fresh tomatoes, add chopped garlic and onion along with lime juice and/or a little bit of apple cider vinegar. Add cumin, minced hot peppers to your taste preference and plenty of fresh cilantro and you have a wonderful refreshing explosion in your mouth. For those of you who want a recipe to follow (I admit I never do...) I've linked to one here that will give you some ideas of ratios and amounts. 

If you want to cook and can salsa for winter consumption, then set aside some time... but the effort is worth it! As mentioned, I'm terrible at following recipes but here is a good primer on what is involved and a suggested recipe. It walks you through how to can the salsa as well, if you are not familiar with that. 

Some tips on veggie storage:

Don't keep tomatoes in the fridge. Flavour is best when kept on the counter at room temperature. We have provided you tomatoes that range from ready to eat to those that will take a few days to ripen so they last the whole week!

There are two major categories of squash - summer and winter. The scallop squash that you have received over the last couple of weeks is a summer squash and should be stored in the refrigerator and used within one to two weeks (sooner if not stored in fridge). Winter squash which will be coming such as butternut, acorn and spaghetti squash not to mention pumpkins will store much longer (weeks, even months).

In the CSA boxes this week, we've tucked in a special treat. A sample of our new Green Veggie Powder has been placed in every box for our shareholders to try! 

This powder is made with greens that may have ripped or have holes in them and are thus not included in boxes or lettuce, spinach or broccoli that has bolted or flowered. Items that are less than perfect but still nutritious and healthy. 

Last winter we experimented ourselves with dehydrating these greens and then tucked them into our smoothies, stews and sauces all winter to help keep us healthy when getting fresh greens is challenging. As we've talked about this with others, many have encouraged us to share and market the powder so... our shareholders are the first recipients of a sample bag of green goodness! Let us know what you think! Is this something you would be interested in? Your comments are appreciated! 

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

• Lettuce (mixed greens in bag)
• Zucchini
• Scallop Squash (Pattypan)
• Carrots
• Peas - full shares only 
• Beans - full shares only
• Potatoes
• Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Tomatoes
• Peppers 
• Beets 
• Onions
• Green Veggie Powder (New)
• 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. 

Follow us on Facebook or on Twitter at @FenezFollies

A peek inside our cupboard...

FFF Photo a Day - Day 33

As part of extending our harvest we spend a lot of time freezing, drying and canning in the fall. This picture was what my canning cupboard used to look like... its less full right now (and not as neat)!

We make tomato sauce, paste, pasta sauce and salsa with what is typically an over-abundance of fall tomatoes. Jalapeno jelly, ground cherry jam, salsa verde from our tomatillos, and various other assortments of preserves, pickles and sauces. 

For most of our canning we use the water bath canning process. I covet my neighbours pressure canner and hope one day to own and master that processing method. 

Week #8 - 2014 FFF CSA - What's in the Box - Do you want to Salsa?

Well the rain finally came and a big sigh of relief was felt by all things green (or pale yellow!). And with more rain in the forecast it looks like we will be have some ongoing moisture to ease some of the near drought conditions and our irrigation responsibilities. 

All our CSA shareholders will enjoy a large bag of tomatoes this week, so I thought a focus on what you can do with tomatoes would be appreciated. 

Tomatoes are a fruit even though many people think of them as a veggie. They belong to the nightshade family along with potatoes, egg plants, tomatillos, and ground cherries. The tomato is a very versatile item that can be used in drinks, sauces, salsas, salad or of course simply raw and unadorned! 

My favorite thing (after simply popping them in my mouth while still in the garden!) is to make fresh salsa - no need to cook or can, this is very easy when the ingredients are in good supply. 

Simply cut/dice fresh tomatoes, add chopped garlic and onion along with lime juice and/or a little bit of apple cider vinegar. Add cumin, minced hot peppers to your taste preference and plenty of fresh cilantro and you have a wonderful refreshing explosion in your mouth. For those of you who want a recipe to follow (I admit I never do...) I've linked to one here that will give you some ideas of ratios and amounts. Enjoy!

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

• Swiss Chard
• Zucchini - full shares only
• Lettuce
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Turnip
• Beans - full shares only
• Kale
• Hot Peppers
• Onion
• Potatoes
• Herbs - this week besides chives and oregano, I gave everyone lots of cilantro so that you can use it for your fresh salsa - if you choose.

We pick the vegetables within 24 hours of the box being delivered. 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.

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. 

Follow us on Facebook or on Twitter at @FenezFollies

Week #10 - FFF CSA update

This week the CSA boxes are so full we almost couldn't fit everything. You each get a very heavy box brimming full of goodies, so bring your muscles to pick up!

 

Peering into the box, so many recipes come to mind….. How about potato and leek soup? Salsa? Chocolate Zucchini cake? Baba Ganoush?  Simply click on the link below to see how to create these yummy items from this week's box contents!

 

Potato and Leek Soup

Salsa

Chocolate Zucchini Cake - Gramma Fenez's recipe

Baba Ganoush (eggplant dip)

What's in the box this week?!

Peppers (assorted sweet and hot)
Potatoes
Cucumbers
Carrots
Zucchini
Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Chives)
Ground cherries
Spring onions
Squash
Tomatoes (a rainbow of varieties)
Eggplant
Honeydew Melon
Leeks

This is a busy time of year for many reasons… we are bringing in the majority of our harvest, Philip helping to combine for a local farmer, we are getting ready for Open Farm Day and of course our kids are going back to school this week!

The gardens continue to grow well however we have had a fairly significant attack of flea beetles! They love plants like kale and other brassicas and can reduce a beautiful lush plant to a skeleton within hours. We are hearing from other farms that we are not alone as many others are suffering the same fate. Flea beetles typically only are an issue in the spring an we haven't been troubled with them in the late summer before. While there are chemical responses that could be used there are very few natural remedies  so … no kale this week!