Week 8 CSA Veggie Haul

It’s Un-be-leaf-able

I was out at the garden this Sunday with a long to do list. Pruning tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini was at the top of that list. There was also weeding and mulching that needed to be done.

Believe it or not I have given the tomatoes a heavy pruning 3 times this year. Tomato plants are so resilient. I cut them back and they keep growing. Three heavy pruning and the plants are starting to look how I want. The trellis I put up is 6 feet tall and the plants are almost at the top.

After I was done with the tomatoes, I moved on to the cucumbers. The plants were getting so heavy with extra growth of off shoots that it was bringing down the whole plant. I had to take off some sprawling branches that had some great small cucumbers growing. That’s what breaks my heart about that job, but it needed to be done.

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

Mulch & Flipping Beds

I heavily mulched the leeks this week. A heavy mulch blocks out the sun around the base of the plant and blanches the bottom 3 inches. This gives the leeks that distinct white lower half.

Wednesday, I took out the peas, flipped the bed (added compost, amendments, broad forked and smoothed out the bed) and transplanted the last of the plants for the season. I transplanted pak Choy and head lettuce.

This last planting is a little bitter sweet. This season has been great and I have had so much fun growing all this great food. I am also looking forward to a little bit of a slow down (if you could call it that).

What’s In The Haul

Summer Squash (zucchini or sunburst)

Kale

Beans

Potatoes

Purple Cabbage

Beets

White Onion

Cucumber

Carrots

Garlic

Week Eight Recipes

Summer Squash

• Zucchini Pancakes

• 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 Pancakes

2 1/4 cups flour or gluten free flour

1 cup shredded zucchini

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp sugar

2 cups milk or dairy free milk

4 tbsp butter or coconut oil

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugar; mix well. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry and mix thoroughly. Next add in the shredded zucchini and mix in well.

In a sauté pan over medium heat add butter or oil to the pan and allow to get hot. Cook the pancakes and serve with butter and syrup. I like to add peanut butter to my pancakes.

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.

Kale

• Blanch it

• Kale chips with ranch seasoning

Kale Storage Tips:

Take the washed kale and place in a zip lock bag or air tight container. Put a dry piece of paper towel in the bag or container to wick away any moisture. Kale is pretty resilient and will last in your fridge up to 10 days.

Freezing kale, remove the rib from the kale leaf. Blanch the kale in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove the kale from the water, letting it air dry or dry it off with a dry towel. Place it on a baking sheet and put into the freezer for 2 hours. Once frozen put into a zip lock bag and put it back into the freezer. It will last up to 3 months.

Blanching is the process par cooking (cooking something half way). It starts with boiling water and adding the vegetable to the water and cooking for a certain amount of time depending on the vegetable density. Then removed from the water, strained, and put into an ice bath. The ice bath shocks the vegetable and stops the cooking process.

Kale Chips with Ranch Seasoning

Bundle of kale

2 tbsp olive oil

Ranch seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried dill

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cut the kale into bite size pieces and massage the leaves with olive oil. Lay the leaves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Mix together the ranch seasoning and sprinkle onto the kale. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Then rotate the pan and bake for another 15 minutes.

Kale Pesto

8 leaves of kale, roughly chopped

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Juice from half a lemon

1/4 cup walnuts

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup grated parmasion

Salt and Pepper

In a dry (no oil) sauté pan over hight heat toast the walnuts, until they are becoming brown and aromatic. Dump the walnuts into a bowl. Next in the same pan put the roughly chopped kale with some water and steam the kale. Once the kale is steamed pour off any excess water and put the kale and the rest of the ingredients into a food processor. Blend everything together to form a smooth paste.

BEANS

• Dilly Beans

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.

Dilly Beans

1 bundle of green beans, ends cut off

2 cups water

1 cup white vinegar

6 springs of dill

4 garlic cloves

1 tbsp salt

In a pot dissolve the salt in the water and vinegar, let cool. Cut the cucumbers into spears or coins and put in a jar with the dill and garlic. Once the brine is cooled add it to the cucumbers and store in the fridge for4 days before eating.

POTATOES

• Potato and Garden Vegetable Sauté

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 and Garden Vegetable Sauté

5-6 medium potatoes, shredded

1 onion, sliced

Bundle of carrots

Beans, cut in half

Zucchini, chopped

In a large pot over medium high heat, cook the potatoes, carrots, and beens. Once cooked drain and add vegetables along with onions and zucchini to a hot sauté pan and fry the veggies together in butter. After cooking for a couple minutes serve. Or continue cooking and add a lush Dill cream sauce to the veggies.

Cream Sauce

1 small onion

1 tbsp oil

2 cups of milk

1 cup of cream

1/4 cup dill chopped

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

Salt and Pepper

1 roux recipe

4 Tbsp fat or oil

4 Tbsp flour (gluten free flours measure like regular flour and are a great alternative)

Method A

Whisk together the oil and flour in a bowl until smoothly blended. Next slowly incorporate roux into a hot liquid that you want to thicken.

-In a medium sauce pan add oil over a medium high heat. Add a finely chopped onion and cook for a couple minutes.

-Add 3 tbsp butter and slowly incorporate the flour to the butter and onion.  Cook the roux and onions for a minute continuously stir to prevent the mixture from burning.  -Next add the milk a half cup at a time while whisking. Once thicken add another half cup of milk and repeat the process until all the milk is used. The add in the 1 cup of cream and allow the sauce to thicken.

Finish the sauce with the garlic and onion powder and salt and pepper to taste.

PURPLE CABBAGE

• Purple cabbage salad with tahini dressing

Cabbage Storage Tips:

Store cabbage in the fridge, whole and uncut. It will stay good in the fridge for up to 2 months. When ready to use just peel off a couple outer leaves.

When freezing cabbage you can cut into 1/4 wedges or shred the cabbage. Blanch the wedge cabbage for 4 minutes and the shredded cabbage for 1 and half minutes. Next strain the cabbage and shock it in ice cold water.  Place the cabbage on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 3 hours and then place into freezer bags.

Purple Cabbage Salad with Tahini Dressing

Purple cabbage, half head shredded

8 carrots, shredded

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 cucumber cut into match sticks

Tahini Dressing

1/2 cup tahini

1/4 cup olive oil

Juice from 1 lemon

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Salt and Pepper

Shred the cabbage, carrots, onion and cucumber and mix together in a bowl. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together and pour over salad.

BEETS

• Crusty Bread with cheese and Roasted Beets

Beets Storage Tips:

Take the tops off the beets, putting 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.

Crusty Bread with Cream Cheese and Roasted Beets

1 lbs of cook and peeled beets

1 cup cream 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 cream 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!

Beet Brownies

Beet puree:

1 large Beet, cooked

1/4 milk

In a blender combine the milk and beet into a smooth paste. You will only need a cup of this puree.

Brownie mix:

3/4 cup flour or gluten free flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of the beet puree

2 large eggs

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees farenhiet In a bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt. In a separate bowl mix together the eggs, butter, sugar, beet puree and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and then mix in the chocolate chips. Grease a 9 by 9 pan and pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

ONION

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.

SLICING CUCUMBER

• Creamy Cucumber Salad

• Dill and Onion, Cucumber Salad

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.

CREAMY CUCUMBER SALAD

1 cucumber

1 bundle of green onions

1 tbsp white vinegar

3 tbsp mayo

Salt and Pepper

Cut cucumbers into coins. Roughly chop the green onions. In a bowl combine cucumbers, green onions, vinegar, mayo, salt and pepper.

DILL AND ONION CUCUMBER SALAD

1 cucumber, cut into ribbons

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

Salt and Pepper

With a vegetable peeler, slice the cucumber into strips length wise. In a bowl combine all the ingredients and let it sit for half hour in the fridge before eating.

CARR0TS

• Roasted Garlic Carrots

Carrot 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.

Roasted Garlic Carrots

1 bulb of garlic

3 tbsp Olive oil

1 bundle of carrots

Salt and Pepper

Cut the top off the garlic exposing the cloves inside. Put the garlic in a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over to and salt and pepper the top. Wrap the garlic bulb in the foil and roast in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees . While the garlic roasts, cut the tops and bottoms off the carrots and cut the carrots into desired sizes. Toss the carrots in oil, salt and pepper. Once the garlic is cooked and cooled enough to handle. Squeeze the cloves out of the bulb and mix into the carrots. Put the carrots in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

GARLIC

Roasted Garlic

Garlic Storage Tips:

Store the garlic in a cool dark place. It will last up to 6 months if stored properly.

Roasted Garlic Cheese Toast

1 garlic bulb

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 loaf of French bread or crusty bread of your choice

1/2 cup butter

1 cup of cheddar and mozzarella blend (or any cheese you like)

1/4 chopped parsley

Salt and Pepper

Cut the top off the garlic exposing the cloves inside. Put the garlic in a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over to and salt and pepper the top. Wrap the garlic bulb in the foil and roast in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Once cooled you can squeeze the garlic from the cloves.

Add the roasted cloves to the room temp butter, add in the parsley and salt and pepper and mix well. Add a thick layer of the butter to the cut half of bread. Add cheese to the top and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.