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? 

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. 

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Week #18 - Farm by numbers

Endless potato planting..

Patty and her brood outside for the first time!

Oliver and Graceson cuddle each night

Caesar, the rooster

Over 900 potatoes planted, 65 tomatoes - all snug in their own kozy koat, 9 pigs moved to their new home, 100s of plants seeded and moved countless times around the greenhouse, three bottles a day for Oliver (the goat kid), 150 new broiler chicks picked up and settled into the brooder, 3 successful hatches of layer chicks, over 2500 feet of irrigation drip tape connected, tested and ready to go! 

It was another busy week but the sore muscles and exhaustion is worth it. We are feeling like we are on track and on schedule. Hope your week was as fruitful and satisfying! 

Sun kissed!

FFF Photo a Day - Day 340

Even though all our garden fresh tomatoes are done for the season, we get a taste of sunny goodness in our sun-dried tomatoes. I swear they taste like a sunny summer afternoon!

We dry our tomatoes on racks in the sun and finish them off in the dehydrator. They re-hydrate pretty easy in most recipes. #sunkissed

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

The rewards of hard work...

FFF Photo a Day - Day 221

Today's lunch.... avocado, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion with cheddar and goats cheese on sourdough bread. 

Delicious and satisfying given that all but the avocado and cheddar was grown, raised or made right here on the farm. 

Inching our way towards producing our total diet... now if we could only grow coffee!!

All the colours of the rainbow...

FFF Photo a Day - Day 220

Our cherry tomatoes are ripening quickly. 

As I picked them today, I found myself humming Louis Armstrong's 'What a Wonderful World'.

Just seemed appropriate somehow... 

Week #6 - 2015 FFF CSA - What's in the Box! - Pattypan Squash

It's week six and we are half way through our CSA season! The garden is generally liking this weather and we generally have a hard time keeping up with the harvest! 

In particular, right now we have a lot of scallop squash... which are often called pattypan squash! I call them sunshine squash because that's what they remind me of. This is the first year we have had such a big harvest so I'm experimenting with a few different uses and recipes myself. 

I found this link to some very simple recipes designed for kids that I'm working my way through! Who else has some clever uses and yummy recipes out there? 

The tomato harvest continues so I'll be pulling together some salsa recipes for next week... 

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

• Rhubarb
• Lettuce (mixed greens in bag)
• Zucchini
• Scallop (pattypan) squash
• Carrots
• Peas
• Tomatoes
• New potatoes
• Turnips
• Broccoli and/or Cauliflower (for full shares only)
• Peas (for half shares only)
• Beans
• Cucumbers (for half shares)
• Peppers (spicy)
• Beets 
• Herbs in the red cup: 
• Oregano
• Chives
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Basil (in a 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

Tonnes of tomatoes!

FFF Photo a Day - Day 215

Lots of tomatoes for our CSA customers this week. Red, yellow, orange, and few purple so far - all delicious! 

Week #5 - 2015 FFF CSA - What's in the Box! - Mix 'n Match - Cool Summer Suppers

It's Week #5 in our CSA season and the hot weather and frequent rains are producing both blessings and burdens.... but it's all delicious! 

Our shareholders will enjoy their first tomatoes and cucumbers this week and I wanted to share a few ideas for some cool supper ideas that use these yummy treats and avoid having to turn the oven on! 

Summer is a great time to throw together a bowl of fresh veggies with a tossing of vinaigrette and a sprinkle of cheese (feta, old cheddar).  My favorite combination is sliced cucumber, quartered tomatoes, diced onion, chopped basil (or cilantro) all tossed with a splash of red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar. If you don't like the sound of that you can use your favorite salad dressing as well. Add salt, pepper.... of course some garlic and chives, toss and serve. No hot stove and a flavour explosion in your mouth. Mix and match by leaving out the cucumber but throwing in more basil or perhaps some fresh beans, some zucchini or carrots. There is really no wrong way to do this! 

The scourge (bounty) of the zucchini plants has begun and you will undoubtedly be looking for ways to use this prolific producer. Check out one of my prior year's blogs for Grandma Fenez's Chocolate Zucchini Cake recipe... because who doesn't like cake!

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

Lettuce (mixed greens in bag)
Zucchini
Swiss Chard
Kale
Onion
Cucumbers New this week!
Tomatoes New this week!
Carrots
Beans New this week!
New potatoes
Broccoli
Peppers (spicy)
Beets 

Basil (in ziploc bag)
Herbs in the red cup:

• Oregano 
• Chives 
• Parsley 
• Cilantro
• Rosemary 

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, on Twitter at @FenezFollies or Instagram (Fenez Follies Farm)

Bountiful!

FFF Photo a Day - Day 206

Went for a meander around the property today and this was the result! 

We are into the part of the growing season where we can't harvest fast enough! #bountiful

Look what I found!!

FFF Photo a day - Day 203

What a difference a day makes! I was in the tomatoes yesterday and didn't see anything.... but look what I found tonight! (insert squeal)

There is nothing in my opinion better on earth than the first taste of a sun ripen tomato fresh from the garden each summer! Nothing...

A little off the top!

FFF Photo a Day - Day 192

The tomatoes were in a desperate need of a trim! They had become quite overgrown and needed re-staking and a general clean up. 

Of course, we waited until the hottest day of the year! Was up early to get a start before the heat got really bad! 

Time to dry!

FFF Photo a Day - Day 162 

As the weather continues warm up and temperatures are consistently staying at a reasonable temperature, we have taken our Kozy Koats off our tomatoes and have hung the to dry. 

Kozy Koats are a plastic covering that is filled with water that surrounds the tomatoes. This insulates the tomatoes and creates a mini greenhouse effect. We find that this method speeds growth and of course, protects the plant during frost, thus allowing you to put out the plants earlier in the year. 

Transplant day

FFF Photo a Day - Day 93 

Today's chore is transplanting seedlings. These tomatoes are going to be huge if we don't get them in the ground soon! 

They will move out to our high tunnel (unheated greenhouse) shortly. I'm drooling just thinking about garden fresh tomatoes again! 

A taste of summer sun

FFF Photo a Day - Day 87

Tonight I'm making risotto with last year's sun dried tomatoes. It is so nice to still have a little slice of sunshine from last summer. 

So looking forward to warmer days! 

Last of the Sunshine...

FFF Photo a Day - Day 39

We finished off last summer's potatoes yesterday. We also only have six wrinkly tomatoes left and two small squash. Whether we like it or not, we are entering that irritating time of having to buy all our vegetables at the store.

It will likely be at least four-five months before we once again can taste real sunshine in our food. :(

Seedy sweet-talk

FFF Photo a Day - Day 37 

Today was spent doing inventory of saved and leftover seeds and pouring over seed catalogues. After much debate surrounding what we will grow this year, we managed to come up with a complete list of varieties and quantities and finished our seed orders! Whew! 

Looking forward to trying a few new things such as collards, Armenian cucumber and Honeynut Squash. Of course we have way too many varieties of tomatoes (if that's possible) and are also trying a few some yellow and red carrot varieties. 

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