IG Fresh Haul Week 3
Big Brassica Bash
You may or may not have noticed some little holes in some of your vegetables. I will definitely let you know the reason why.
This week has been very much been about out with the old and in with the new. What is different about the garden this week?
The garden may be a little behind, but we seem to be in full swing going into the 3rd week in July.What is going good and what is this years flop.
*Morning Views at *Half HaulReal Food has Holes
Why is there holes in my vegetables, the short of it bugs. It’s kind of part and parcel of growing with organic methods. There is no pesticides or even herbicides for that matter sprayed on the vegetables. If those chemicals are killing everything around the plant, I don’t really want to eat what is left behind.
I also use organic practices, because I care about the soil health. Every time a herbicide is sprayed to kill weeds in the garden. It also indirectly kills the microbes and fungi in to soil as well. If there is no microbes and bacteria pumping out nutrients into the soil, which is then taken up by the plants. Then our plants that we eat are lacking in vitamins and minerals. Making it so we aren’t getting everything we need from our food. Its about maximizing nutrient density.
Soil health is our own health.
Ok I am off my soap box now. Changes are always happening at the garden and mid season is no reason to stop planting now. This past Sunday I pulled out a whole bed of spinach that was about to bolt (start flowering). Then planted lettuce, arugula, spinach (yes more) and Dill for all of those baby potatoes that will be coming out of the ground.
You heard right soon potatoes will be making their way into a haul near you, along with carrots, beets, onions and peas. So things are coming on strong at the garden, yet its not all good news. With this hot summer heat comes it own issues. Broccoli and Cauliflower don’t like this weather, as a result both are starting to go to flower. Its a bummer because I set aside 2 1/2 beds for these two crops and I never seem to have enough for everyone. This has me reevaluating these to veggies for next year.
What’s In The Haul
HALF
Napa Cabbage
Kale
Romaine
FULL
Romaine
Collard Greens
Garlic Scapes
Broccoli/ Cauliflower
Kohlrabi
Week 3 Recipes
Romaine
Caesar salad
Kielbasa Lettuce Boats
Lettuce Storage Tips:
In a resealable container or bag, line the bottom with a paper towel. Place the lid back on or reseal the bag and store in your fridge for up to 7 days. A container works great because it prevents the lettuce from getting bruised.
Caesar Salad
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup mayo
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp anchovy paste
Salt and Pepper
-Mix the ingredients in a bowl and pour over your Caesar salad.
*anchovy paste in the tube stores well in the fridge and is way more convenient than a tin of anchovies.
1 large head or 2 medium heads of Romaine
1 cup of croutons
1/4 cup parmesan
Roughly chop Romaine into bite size pieces. Add croutons, parmesan cheese, and Caesar salad dressing. Mix together and enjoy.
Kielbasa Lettuce Boats
2 heads of Romaine, leafs removed
1 Kielbasa link
3 tbsp butter
1 cup of mushrooms, sliced
1 pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
Salt and Pepper
On a preheated BBQ, grill the kielbasa until lightly charred.
Separately in a pan over medium heat add butter, onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and let cook until veggies are soft about 5 minutes. Cut the kielbasa into bite size pieces and add to the pan of vegetables and mix in evenly. Next all that is left to do is fill the lettuce boats with the kielbasa mixture and top with some yellow mustard.
Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi and Pear Salad
Pickled Kohlrabi
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.
Pickled Kohlrabi
1lb kohlrabi
1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1 clove of garlic, sliced
To a small sauce pan over medium heat add in the water, vinegar, salt, sugar. Let it come to a simmer until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
Peel and cut the kohlrabi into 1/4 inch half moons and put in a jar with the slice garlic, ginger and peppercorns. Pour the pickling liquid over the kohlrabi in the jar. Cover with a lid and let it sit for 10 minutes. Move to the fridge and let the pickling process continue, for at least 3 days.
Broccoli
5 minute Broccoli Soup
Sautéed Broccoli, Mushroom and Garlic Scapes
Broccoli Storage Tips:
Store broccoli in a loose fitting container or partially open bag, air flow and circulation is needed keep broccoli fresh. It also like to be kept colder so store at the back of your fridge. It will typically last like this for up to 10 days.
To freeze broccoli, pre cutting to desired size, then blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes. Strain the broccoli and shock it in cold water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled enough to handle transfer the broccoli to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer for 2 hours. Remove from the pan, and put the broccoli in a zip lock freezer bag and place back in the freezer. The broccoli will stay good like this for up to 6 months.
5 Minute Broccoli Soup
1 head of broccoli, cut into smaller pieces
3 cups of chicken broth
1 whole garlic clove
1/2 small onion, diced
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp heavy cream
Salt and Pepper
In a sauce pan over high heat, add the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Once the broth is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, garlic and broccoli. Cover with a lid and let the veggies simmer for 5 minutes. Once the 5 minutes is up pour everything from the pot into a blender or use a stick blender and puree everything is smooth. Add the butter, cream, salt and pepper and blend again. Enjoy.
Sautéed Broccoli, Mushrooms, and Garlic Scapes
4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic scapes, diced
1 cup of mushrooms, sliced
3 cups of broccoli, cut into florets
In a sauté pan over medium high heat, add the oil, onions and garlic scapes. Let the veggies heat up and sizzle. Add in the sliced mushrooms and broccoli. Reduce the heat to medium and let cook until broccoli is tender. About 5 minutes, remember to stir the pan to prevent burning.
Garlic Scapes
Garlic Scape & and Lemon Compound Butter
Garlic Scapes & Olive Oil Flavour Bombs
Garlic Scape Storage Tips:
Place garlic scapes in a resealable bag in the fridge.
Garlic Scape & Lemon Compound Butter
1 bundle of garlic scapes
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup soft butter
Salt and Pepper
In a food processor add all the ingredients and blend together. With a rubber spatula scrape the butter mixture out and onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form the butter mixture into a rough log shape and wrap the plastic wrap around shaping the butter. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap to tighten the package. Place in the freezer to keep. When you want to use the compound butter remove from the freezer 10 minutes before using. Slice a coin off the butter and serve over grilled meat or potatoes.
Garlic Scapes & Olive Oil Flavour Bombs
1 bundle garlic scapes
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
In a blend put the scapes and olive oil, blend until smooth. Pour into ice cube molds and place into the freezer. Once frozen, remove from the molds and place into a resealable bag and put back into the freezer. You can use these little flavour bombs in all of your cooking.
Napa Cabbage
Asian Cabbage Rolls
Bacon and Onion Fried Cabbage
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.
Bacon and Onion Fried Cabbage
4 strips of bacon
1 onion, diced
2 cups cabbage, diced
1 tbsp vinegar
Salt and Pepper
In a sauté pan over medium high heat, cook the bacon to desired doneness. Once cooked remove the bacon from the pan, but leave all the bacon fat still in the pan. Add in the diced onion and cabbage. Cook the veggies until the cabbage becomes soft. Add in the vinegar, salt and pepper and cook for another minute. Serve.
Asian Cabbage Rolls
1 head of Napa Cabbage
1 lb ground pork
1 bundle of green onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 chili pepper, finely chopped
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soya sauce
Have a large pot of boiling water ready, this will help roll the cabbage leafs. Remove the leafs off of the Napa cabbage. With a pairing knife remove the vain running down the middle of the cabbage. Next dip the leaf into the simmering water for 5 seconds, just enough to slightly cook the cabbage.
In a large bowl, combine the pork, green onions, garlic, ginger, chilli pepper, fish sauce and soya sauce. Mix everything together thoroughly. Take a small ball of pork mixture and put it in the middle of the Napa cabbage leaf and roll it up tight. Place in a oven safe pan and repeat the process. Once all the rolls are done, add 1/4 cup water to the bottom of the pan and cook in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Serve with a bit of teriyaki sauce.
Collard Greens
Collard Greens, tuna and veggie wraps
Collard Greens Storage Tips
Fresh dill in a resealable bag will last up to a week.
Collard Greens; Tuna and Veggie Wraps
4 leaves of collard greens
1 can of tuna or fresh grilled tuna
1 cucumber, diced
1 tomato, diced
Green onions, diced
Cilantro, roughly chopped
Siracha Mayo
Start by de-veining the collards. Using a paring knife, remove the vein that runs up the collard, but don’t cut through the collard green. In a pan over medium heat lay the leaf flat and steam for 5 seconds on each side.
Assemble the wraps, lay the leaf flat. Add the mayo, cilantro, green onion, tomato, cucumber and tuna.
Kale
Kale Pesto
South West Kale Salad
Kale Chips
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.
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.
South West Kale Salad
7-8 leaves of kale, roughly chopped
2 ripe avocados, diced
1 /2 cup black beans
1 cup tomatoes
1/4 cup red onion
1 /2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
Dressing
1/4 cup Olive Oil
Juice from 2 limes
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 clove of crushed garlic
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
Salt and Pepper
In a large bowl combine all of the salad ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk together the oil, lime juice, spices, garlic and mustard. Pour dressing over salad and, enjoy.
Kale Chips
1 bundle of kale
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt to season
Pre heat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. De-stem the Kale and cut into bit size pieces. Thoroughly pat dry the kale with paper towel. Next add the kale to a bowl with the olive oil and mix until evenly coated. Lay the kale out on the baking sheet spaced apart, making sure none of the pieces are touching. Sprinkle with salt and put in the oven for 10 minutes. When 10 minutes is up rotate the pan and continue to bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Kale chips are best enjoyed slightly warm.
