Thyme to Eat

Wow! We are already half way through the season. I don’t know about you but the summer is flying by. The start of a new month means new vegetables coming into season.
Potatoes, zucchini, and cucumbers are now in their peak.The Kale is abundant. Peppers and tomatoes are starting to ripen on the vine. With all the veggies that are coming on it is easy to forget that there is still planting to be done.
On Thursday morning I seeded spinach, arugula and salad turnips. Still to go in is pak Choy and Lettuce. I am expecting all of these vegetables to be ready for the last two IGFresh hauls if all goes well.

*early morning coffee views                    *first ripe tomato of the year

Weeds & Wind

We haven’t been without our share of challenges. Cauliflower heads are coming in spotty at best and some are skipping the stage of creating a head and instead going straight to bolting. Weeds are out of control, not so much in the garden but the outer reaches are, or at least were. The weeds are so bad that some were as tall as the 4 foot snow fence that is lining the garden. Gemma came out with her good friend Robyn and they pulled all the tall weeds so the squashes had room to spread out.

This Friday, we had some wind that the garden hasn’t seen since May. Most of the plants I have no worries about but the cucumbers and tomatoes are growing up. As a result they get a brunt of the wind. Friday after work we headed out and trellised the tomatoes and cucumbers. Now they are reinforced, and ready to with stand the next month that Mother Nature throws at it.

What’s In The Haul

Kohlrabi

Swiss Chard

Beans

Potatoes

Summer squash (zucchini Or Sunburst)

Beets

White Onion

Slicing Cucumber

Pickling Cucumber

Sunflower Micro-Greens

Thyme

Week Seven Recipes

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.

Kohlrabi and Pear Salad

1 large kohlrabi, peeled and sliced

2 ripe pears, sliced

1/4 cup walnuts

1 bundle of green onions sliced

1 bundle of parsley

1 leaves of mint

3 tbsp olive oil

Juice from half of a lemon or 1 tbsp of vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Peal and slice the kohlrabi and place in bowl. Then add the thinly sliced pear, walnuts, green onion, roughly chopped parsley and mint, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss the salad together and let sit in the fridge for a couple hour for the salad to come together and develop flavour.

Thyme Roasted Kohlrabi

3 medium kohlrabi

4 springs of thyme

2 cloves of crushed garlic

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp chilli flakes

Salt and Pepper

Peel and cut the kohlrabi into wedges or cubes. In a bowl mix the kohlrabi, herbs with the stems removed, garlic, oil, chilli flakes, salt and pepper. Put in a roasting pan or baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in a preheated 350 degree F oven. Roast for 20 minutes.

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 Swiss chard, 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 Parcels

5-6 Swiss chard leaves

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup cooked grains (rice, quinoa, barley)

1/2 lbs ground meat of your choice

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tsp fresh thyme

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups tomato soup and butternut soup

In a saute pan over medium high heat, add in the oil. Once the oil is hot, cook the ground meat, or skip the step and put in the onions, mushrooms, thyme and garlic to cook for 5 minutes. Next add in the cooked grains and toasted walnuts and heat through. Put the stuffing to the side to cool down.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take the Chard leaves and remove the stem and the vein running down the middle of the chard. Put a spoon full of the stuffing into the leaf and wrap like a burrito. Take a casserole dish and at the bottom make even 1/2 inch layer of tomato sauce or butternut squash soup. (the soup isle is great for these quick versions) Put all the neatly made packets in the dish and bake for 30 minutes.

**BEANS**

Grilled Bean and Potato Salad

Bean Storage Tips:

Store string beans in a resealable bag in the fridge. They will stay crisp and fresh like this up to 7 days.

Freezing beans, first remove the stem end of the bean by snapping it. You will notice that there is a thread attached to the woody stem. Pull on the stem and the thread all the way down the length of the bean. Next blanch the beans in boiling water for 1 minute. Strain the beans and shock in cold water. Place the beans evenly, and spaced out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer for 2 hours. After the two hours is up pull the frozen beens out and put in a zip lock freezer bag. Put the bag back into the freezer, the beans will last up to 6 months like this.

Grilled Bean and Potato Salad

1 bundle of green beans, ends cut off

5-6 small to medium potatoes

1 onion, sliced

6 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 tsp fresh thyme

Salt and Pepper

Preheat the BBQ. Cut the potato into 1/2 inch slices, and cook in a pot of water over medium high heat. Cook the potatoes for 5 minutes. When 5 minutes is up, add in the beans to cook for 2 minutes. Drain the beans and potatoes and put into a bowl. Toss with 2 tbsp of the olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay the potato slices and beans flat on the grill. (you are wanting to see char marks on the potatoes and beans but not too dark). In a bowl combine all the ingredients for the dressing and mix well. Once the potatoes and beans are lightly chard remove from the grill and put into a bowl with the sliced onion. Pour over the dressing and mix well.

Potato Storage Tips:

Store potatoes in a cool, dry, dark and well ventilated place. Typically in a cardboard box in the pantry or garage. Do not store them in the fridge. The humidity in the fridge will make them sprout over time and the cold air will make the potato convert its starch to sugar. Making the potato sweet.

Potato Pancakes

5-6 medium potatoes, shredded

1 onion, sliced

1 tsp salt

4 sprigs of thyme, stem removed

1 large egg

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/4 cup flour or gluten free flour

Shred the potatoes and add the salt and mix thoroughly, let sit for 10 minutes. Drain off the liquid in the bowl. Squeeze the potatoes removing any extra water from the potatoes. In a bowl combine all the ingredients to the potatoes and mix until everything is incorporated. In a frying pan over medium high heat add 4 tbsp of cooking oil or fat of your choice. Wait till the oil is hot. Form the potato pancakes into little patties and place into the pan to fry for 3 minutes each side. Serve with sour cream and chopped chives.

SUMMER SQUASH

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Zucchini Relish

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.

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.

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups flour or gluten free flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup canola or coconut oil

2/3 cup white sugar or coconut sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup zucchini, grated

1 cup ripe banana, mashed

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Take the shredded zucchini and place it in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze the excess water out. In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients, mixing together. In another bowl mix together all the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl and mix well. Dump in the chocolate chips and fold everything together.

In a greased 9 by 13 baking pan, pour the batter in. Tap the baking pan a couple times to release any air bubbles in the batter. Add more chocolate chips to the top before baking. Bake the cake for 50-55 minutes. Allow bread to cool before cutting into it.

Zucchini Relish

4 cups shredded zucchini

1 cup chopped onions

1 1/2 tbsp salt

1 1/2 cups white vinegar

1 red pepper, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp celery seed

3/4 tsp ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp pepper

In a bowl add the zucchini, onion and salt. Mix everything together and let sit for 1 hour. After the hour is up rinse the zucchini in water and squeeze out all the moisture. In a medium pot over medium heat, add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Add in the zucchini and onion mixture. Bring everything to a boil and then reduce to medium low and simmer everything for 30 minutes.

From here you can pack the relish to can it or you can put in containers and store it in the fridge or freezer.

BEETS

Crusty Bread with cheese and Roasted Beets

Beets Storage Tips:

When you get your carrots, cut the tops off. The carrot tops will literally suck the life out of the carrot. Place the carrots into a zip lock bag with a dry piece of paper towel. The paper towel will soak up any extra moisture the carrot gives off. The Carrots will stay crisp in the fridge up to 7 days.

Freezing carrots, cut into uniform pieces and blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes. This will slightly cook the carrot, but not completely through. With a slotted spoon remove the carrots, or strain with a colander. Dump out the carrots on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Put into the freezer for 2 hours. Remove the tray and put the frozen carrots into a zip lock bag, and store it in the freezer.

Crusty Bread with Ricotta and Roasted Beets

1 lbs of cook and peeled beets

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp fresh thyme

The juice and zest from half of a lemon

loaf of crusty bread

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cut a couple slices of crusty bread and grill it on the BBQ or toast. Cut the beets into chunks or slices. In a bowl add in the ricotta cheese, thyme, honey, zest and lemon juice; mixing well. Now to assemble. Take the toast and spread on a generous amount of the cheese mixture. Layer on top as much or as little beets you desire and drizzle with olive oil. Enjoy!

Onion Storage Tips

Whole onions can be stored in a cool, dry, dark and well ventilated place. This would be a basement, cellar, or garage. Already peeled and cut onions can be stored in the fridge in a air tight container to prevent the onion odour corrupting other foods. They will store in the fridge for 7-10 days.

CUCUMBER STORAGE TIP:

Storing cucumbers is easy as wrapping them in dry paper towel and placing them in an open plastic bag. Make sure the bag is left open to allow air flow. Cucumbers will store in the fridge like this for a 10 days.

The alternative method is to just store the cucumbers on the counter. They will delicious and crisp like this for 7 days.

Tzatziki

1 cucumber, peeled, de-seeded

1 bundle of green onions, chopped (optional)

1 cup plain greek yogurt

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp fresh or dried Dill

1 tsp salt

Using a cheese grater, grate the cucumber and combine the salt. Let the salt and grated cucumber sit for a couple minutes until the cucumber starts releasing its water. Next place the cucumber in a clean dish towel and squeeze the cucumber pulp, releasing the water from the cucumber. In a separate bowl combine the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, dill, green onions. Add cucumber to the yogurt and mix well.

About Thyme:

Thyme is such a versatile herb, it can be used with bold flavours when cooking, like soups and stews. Yet at the same time, complement more delicate flavours. Like eggs or salad dressings.

Herb Storage Tips:

Break up herbs into to categories, tender herbs and Harty 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.

Harty 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.

Herb and Olive Oil Cubes

Fresh herbs, stems removed

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ice cube tray

Take a 1/2 tsp fresh herbs and put it in the bottom of an ice cube tray. Cover with olive oil and freeze for 6 hours. Remove the cubes from the tray and store in a resealable freezer bag.

PICKLING CUCUMBERS

Pickles. Tune in to instagram live Monday 8th at 7pm to make them together.

Cucumber Storage Tips:

Storing cucumbers is easy as wrapping them in dry paper towel and placing them in an open plastic bag. Make sure the bag is left open to allow air flow. Cucumbers will store in the fridge like this for a 10 days.

The alternative method is to just store the cucumbers on the counter. They will delicious and crisp like this for 7 days.

We are giving two types of cucumbers this week. Pickling and a slicing cucumber. The pickling might need to be peeled if it is larger. The slicing cucumber doesn’t need to be peeled it can be eaten right away.

SUNFLOWER MICROGREENS

Put that shit on everything!!

Micro-greens Storage Tips:

The greens will store in the bag it’s self for up to a week. To add extra length to the life of your microgreens. Put the greens between two layers of paper towel and put into a plastic bag or resealable container. This will store up to 10 days in the fridge.

Sunflower micro-greens will go great with salads, smoothies or sandwiches. I recommend trying them with the beet sandwich up above.

Week 7 CSA Veggie Haul

Thyme to Eat

Weeds & Wind

What’s In The Haul

Week Seven Recipes