Week 4 CSA Veggie Haul
The Beets be Rad…ish
The garden is starting to look more like a full abundant garden. All of the vegetables are coming in, and we are very happy to be handing out some new colours of vegetables this week. Peep that patty pan squash and kohlrabi.
Everybody’s favourite, carrots are about a week out from being ready. Cucumbers and peas aren’t too far behind the carrots. I am giving everyone a break from the kale for a bit and introducing more of a variety of other greens. (Beet greens)
* Cucumbers coming in cool * peas starting to develop pods Busy Times at the Garden
This is such a busy time of the year. There is the garden to maintain (weeding and watering), harvesting, washing vegetables but also starting new plants for the fall. Last week was the end of the spinach. Out goes the spinach and in goes a new round of kohlrabi plants.
The heat wave this week will be great for the tomatoes and cucumbers. They love this hot weather and pairing it with the drip irrigation and the ground cover. The plants are going to thrive.
Speaking of tomatoes, I did some trimming on the plants this past Sunday. I trim the lower part for several reasons. These tomatoes are indeterminate, meaning that they will keep growing up until their life cycle ends (Typically a heavy frost). The first reason for trimming is to allow air flow through the base of the plants. This helps prevent fungle diseases. Second, it makes the plant put energy into growing up wards rather that growing out and becoming bushy.
More seeds were started this week. Lettuce and Pak Choy which will be planted the beginning of August.
*before the trimming *after the trimmingWhat’s In The Haul
Summer Squash (zucchini OR sunburst)
Beets
Kohlrabi
Green Onions
Radishes
Swiss chard
Thyme
Week Three Recipes
SUMMER SQUASH
Thyme sauteéd squash
Summer Squash olive oil pasta
About Summer Squash: (zucchini/sunburst)
Sunburst squash are very similar in texture and flavour to zucchini and are cooked in the same manner. Switch out zucchini for Sunburst in any of these recipes.
Summer Squash Storage Tips:
Store in your crisper as is, or place in a plastic bag leaving the bag open to allow ventilation.
If freezing the squash, first start by slicing the squash into half inch coins, next blanching it in boiling water for 2 minutes. Strain the squash in a colander, and transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Next on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a clean dish towel, lay out the sliced squash in an even layer and freeze for 2 hours. Then move the veggies to a freezer bag, these will store in the freezer up to 6 months.
You can also shred the squash, squeeze the excess water out and put directly into freezer bags and place into the freezer.
Thyme Sauteéd Squash
1 zucchini
1 tbsp butter
4 sprigs of thyme
Parmesan for garnish
Salt and Pepper
In a saute pan over medium heat, add the butter and and thyme letting it come together. While the butter is melting roughly chop the zucchini into bit size pieces. When the butter is hot and sizzling add the zucchini and let it cook for two minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add parmesan once the zucchini is cooked.
Summer Squash Olive Oil Pasta
1 zucchini
1 cup olives
1/2 cup olive oil
Green onions
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tsp chili flakes
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
Salt and Pepper
16oz box of cooked pasta
In a saute pan over medium high heat, add the oil, chilli flakes, and sliced garlic. While the oil is heating roughly chop the zucchini into bite size pieces and add it to the pan. Saute all the ingredients in the pan for a couple minutes (until the zucchini is tender). Add in the olives and chopped green onions to the zucchini. Cook pasta to a desired doneness, strain and add to the saute pan. Season with salt, pepper, and garnish with parmesan cheese.
BEETS
Roasted Beet Salad
Garlicky Beet Greens
About Beets:
A deep red vegetable full of phytonutrients. Beets contain a unique source called betalains. Beet greens can also be used in place of lettuce greens and works great in salads.
Beet Storage Tips:
Take the tops off the beets, put them into a resealable bag and put in the fridge. Beets will last like this for up to 3 weeks. To prolong the life of the beets poke holes in the bag to allow moisture to escape.
Freezing beets:
fill a pot with water. Add the beets and bring the pot to a boil. Cook small beets for 25-30 minutes and larger beets 45-50 minutes. The beets are done when they can be poked with a knife or fork. Put the cooked beets in a bowl of ice water, to cool them down quicker. When the beets are cooled down enough to be handled, peel off the skins. This should come off easily. Next slice or dice the beets and spread out on a baking sheet to flash freeze. Once the beets are fully frozen, package them in a resealable bag and place back into the freezer for later use.
Roasted Beet Salad
Beets, cooked with skin removed
1/4 cup toasted walnuts or nuts and seeds of your choice
1 cup micro-greens of your choice
Goat cheese
Dressing
/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
Thyme
Roast the beets in the oven for an hour at 350 degrees. Once cooked, let the beets cool for a minute and then peel. In a sauté pan over high heat toast the nuts until they are brown and toasted. In a bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing. Next add in the diced cooked beets, toasted nuts, cheese and micro greens. Add salt and pepper and toss everything together.
Garlicky Beet Greens
1 bundle beet greens, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper
In a sauté pan over medium high heat, heat the olive oil. Once the oil is hot add in sliced garlic and chopped beet greens. Cook greens for a couple minutes until wilted. Add salt and pepper, enjoy.
KOHLRABI
Herbaceous Kohlrabi & Pear Salad
About Kohlrabi:
Also called German turnip, is a member of the cabbage family and can be eaten raw or cooked. We have purple and green varieties.
Kohlrabi Storage Tips:
Kohlrabi, can be stored in your fridge as is, and can stay fresh for 3 weeks.
Freezing kohlrabi, peel the thick skin from the vegetable. Cut into 1 inch cubes and blanch the kohlrabi in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove from the water and transfer to an ice water bath to stop the cooking. Put the cooled kohlrabi into a freezer bag and freeze. It will last in the freezer for 6 months.
Herbaceous Kohlrabi & Pear Salad
1 kohlrabi, peeled and thinly sliced
2 pears
1 bundle of green onions
1/4 cup cilantro
1/4 cup mint
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and Pepper
Peel and thinly slice the kohlrabi and pear. Add the pear, kohlrabi, and chopped green onion to a bowl. Roughly chop the cilantro, mint and parsley and add it to the rest of the salad. Poor the olive oil and lemon juice over the salad. Add salt and pepper and thoroughly mix the salad.
GREEN ONION
Put that shit on everything!!
Green Onion Storage Tips:
Green Onion storage tips, cut off the roots of the green onion, then cut the onions in half. Pat dry with a piece of paper towel removing any extra moisture. Sandwich the dried green onions between two layers of paper towel and put in a zip lock bag and put in the fridge. They will store in the fridge for up to a week. Or if you are going to use them soon, don’t worry about cutting them in half, just store in a ziplock bag with a piece of paper towel.
RADISHES
Pickled Radish
Radish, Apple & Cilantro Salad
Radish Storage Tips:
On the counter: using a mason or jam jar, Or resealable container. Place the radish bulbs in the jar with the tops sticking out. Pour water into the jar covering the radish bulbs, making sure to leave the greens dry. They will last on the counter like up to 4 days.
Pickled Radish
Bundle of radish
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup hot water
Cut both ends of the radish off. Thinly slice the radish into coins (thiner the slices the better the radishes will pickle). In a small pot of water add the water, vinegar, salt and sugar and bring to a simmer. Once the salt and sugar have dissolved, pour into a bowl with the radishes and let sit out on the counter for an hour. Then put into a resealable container and put in the fridge. It will stay good for up to 3 weeks.
Radish, Apple & Cilantro Salad
Vegetable Slaw:
Bundle of radishes
1 Apple of your choice
4 Green onions
1/2 cup cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste
Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice from a lime
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
Trim the tops and bottoms from the radishes. Thinly slice the radish, apple and green onions and add to a bowl. Next roughly chop the cilantro and to the slaw mixture. In a bowl combine all the dressing ingredients with a whisk and pour over the vegetables. Finish off with Salt and Pepper to taste.
SWISS CHARD
Swiss chard & Cheddar Quiche
About Swiss Chard:
A close relative of the beet and is grown for its leaves and stems as opposed to its root. Swiss chard and Beet greens are similar in flavour and interchangeable in recipes.
Swiss chard Storage Tips:
Store your Swiss chard in a plastic bag with a paper towel inside. Leave the bag open to allow moisture to escape. The paper towel will also wick away moisture. The chard will last in the fridge up to 6 days.
Freezing: Blanch the chard in boiling water for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, pull the leaves out and put into a bowl of ice water. This will rapidly cool down the chard and stop the cooking. Next drain the Swiss chard and squeeze out the excess water and put the into a resealable freezer bag. It will last up to a year in your freezer.
Swiss chard & Cheddar Quiche
1 frozen pie crust
6 large eggs
1 medium onion
3/4 cup milk or cream
1/3 cup cheddar cheese
3 tbsp chives
3-4 leaves of Swiss chard
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 degree oven. In a sauté pan over medium high heat add the oil, onion, Swiss chard. Cook until the chard has wilted down. In a bowl whisk together the cream, eggs, cheese, herbs, Swiss chard, salt and pepper. Poor egg mixture into the pie shell and bake for 35-40 minutes.
THYME
A hearty summer herb
Herb Storage Tips
Break up herbs into to categories, tender herbs and Hearty herbs.
Tender herbs are as follows basil, cilantro, mint, dill, and tarragon. These herbs spoil quickly and should be used 5 days after getting. The best way to store them is in a mason jar or glass of water with the stock sitting in the water. Much like fresh cut flowers.
Hearty herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sweet marjoram and sage are much more forgiving. Tie the bundle of herbs into a boutique and store in the fridge for 7-10 days.
