IG Fresh Haul Week 4
Fennely, This Weeks Haul
As summer moves on everything seems to be up and going. After spraying the garden with that compost tea last week the vegetables are thriving, even with the lack of rain.
Some vegetables like the squash and tomatoes have been taking off. As a result, a trimming is in order.
As the season progresses, new vegetables come on. This week is no exception. We have a new summer vegetable on the scene.
*Tomatoes get a trim *Overhead sprinklersDrop it Like it’s Hot
This summer weather has been incredible. Warm days and cool nights. It has been a great summer so far. I think my only want is for more rain. It is hard to germinate seeds for fall crops without a consistent rain fall. Thankfully this winter I invested in an over head watering system. Something with on/off valves which allows me to water half of the garden at once. Gone are the days of a sprinkler that is zip tied to a 5 gallon bucket. I cannot believe we survived last season like this..lol
This combination of heat, regular watering and a healthy dose of mid season fertilizer boost has the plants putting on lots of new growth. The squash and cucumbers seem to be growing at an accelerated pace. Same with the tomatoes, they are not only growing up but also out. Extra branches that grow from the base of the plant are removed. Removing these lower branches does several things:
It takes weight off of the plant allowing it to grow up, allows for more air flow and a heather more disease free plant, and it also promotes the plant to put more energy into producing fruit.
New to the IGFresh Haul this season, is fennel. Fennel is a two for one deal, offering a bright, fresh, black liquorish flavour. The bulb is great eaten raw in salads or cook into sauces or soups. The tops work great as a fresh herb, and pairs great with fish.
What’s In The Haul
HALF
Lettuce Mix
Kohlrabi
Fennel
Swiss chard
FULL
Lettuce Mix
Kohlrabi
Fennel
Kale
Beets
Basil or Dill or Cilantro
Week 4 Recipes
Lettuce
Raspberry Vinaigrette
Bacon Ranch Salad
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.
Raspberry Vinaigrette
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup raspberries
1 tsp dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper
In a blender cup add all of the ingredients together and pulse to combine. If the vinaigrette seems thick add a bit of water to thin it out.
Bacon Ranch Salad
1 head of romaine
1/2 cup bacon, cook and roughly chopped
4 hard boiled eggs, cut into 1/4’s
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 bundle chopped green onions
Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp green onion or chives
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dill
Salt and Pepper
-Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl and pour over your salad.
OR
Greek Yoghurt Ranch Dressing
1/2 greek yoghurt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp green onions
1 tsp dill
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Salt and Pepper
-Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl and pour over your salad.
Kohlrabi
Pickled Kohlrabi
German Style 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.
Pickled Kohlrabi
1 lb 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.
German Style Kohlrabi
1 Kohlrabi
1 tsp Salt
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp AP flour or Gluten free flour
3/4 cup of milk
Pinch of nutmeg
In a pot of boiling water add the peeled and slice kohlrabi. Let it cook for 6-8 minutes just until fork tender (poke it with a fork). Drain and set off to the side.
Using the same pot over medium heat add in the butter and let melt. Once the butter is melted, stir in the flour and let it cook for a minute. Once the butter and flour are cooked add in the milk and mix well to prevent any clumps from forming. This sauce should thicken up in about 5 minutes. Add the salt and nutmeg to the sauce, and dump in the cooked Kohlrabi. Mix together and enjoy.
Optional add German Style kohlrabi to a baking dish, sprinkle with 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Fennel
Fennel, Kohlrabi and Apple Salad
Fennel and Orange Salad with Pickled Beets
Fennel Storage Tips:
Remove the fronds (tops) from the bulb base, store the fronds in a resealable bag for up to a week. The bulb end can be placed in a resalable container in the fridge for up to a week.
To process fennel first remove the fronds from the bulb. The fronds are great used as a fresh herb. From the bulb remove any woody stalks. Cut into 1/4’s and remove the core from the bulb. Slice thin and enjoy.
Fennel and Orange Salad with Pickled Beets
1 bulb of fennel, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fennel fronds
1 orange cut into segments
1/4 cup toasted pistachios
1/8 cup dill, chopped
3-4 slices of pickled beets
1 tbsp Olive oil
Juice from a 1/4 of a lemon
Salt and Pepper
Cut the tops off the bulb and reserve the fronds to one side. Thinly slice the fennel. Peel one orange and cut the segments out of the orange.
In a sauté pan toast the pistachios until golden. Roughly chop the dill and fennel fronds. Now to assemble the salad. In a bowl toss the fennel, orange, fennel fronds, dill, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Lay out on to a plate top with slices of pickled beets and toasted pistachios, enjoy.
Fennel, Kohlrabi and Apple Salad
1 large kohlrabi, peeled and sliced
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 red apple, sliced
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
1 bundle of green onions sliced
1 bundle of cilantro
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, fennel and place in bowl. Then add the thinly sliced apple, walnuts, green onion, roughly chopped cilantro, 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.
Swiss chard
Swiss chard Parcels
Swiss chard and Cheddar Quiche
Swiss chard Storage Tips:
In a resealable bag or container. Place the Swiss chard and on one side put a piece of paper towel and seal the bag or container. The container works great cause it prevents the chard from getting bruised in the fridge. This will last in your fridge up to 10 days.
Freezing Swiss chard, blanch the chard in boiling water. Let it cook for 30 second and strain the water from the chard. Next let the chard cool slightly and then squeeze the water from the Swiss chard. Put the chard in a air tight bag and freeze. It will stay good in the freezer up to 3 months.
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.
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.
Baby Beets
Garlicky Beet Greens
Pickled Beets
Beet Brownies
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.
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.
Pickled Beets
1 lbs of cooked beets
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Pinch of whole cloves
First start by cooking the beets in simmering water until fork tender. Strain, peel and cut into slices and place into a jar.
To a pot over medium heat add in the vinegar, sugar and salt. Let simmer until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Let the brine cool slightly and then pour into the jar with the beets add in a pinch of whole cloves. Cover with a lid and sit out for 10 minutes, transition over to the fridge and let it marinate for 3 days.
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.
KALE
Kale Pesto
Southwest Kale Salad
Kale Kimchi
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.
What Pares with Kale
Garlic, olive oil, onions, red pepper flakes, salt, thyme, vinegar, butter, cheddar cheese, roast chicken, lemon juice, pancetta, bacon, sweet potatoes.
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 Kimchi
1 Bundle of Kale
1 tsp kosher salt
4 carrots, grated
8 radishes, grated
1 bundle of green onions, chopped
1 tbsp ginger, grated
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp red chilli flakes
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp paprika
Hand tear the kale. In a bowl combine the kale, carrots, radish, green onion, ginger, and garlic.
Sprinkle the salt amongst the vegetables and massage in. Let the salt and vegetables sit for 10-15 minutes.
In a smaller separate bowl combine the paprika, chilli flakes and fish sauce. Add to the vegetables and mix together thoroughly. Pack everything into a mason jar and cover with the seal. If need be add a bit of water to the vegetables just until they are covered. Do not tighten the ring, leave it loose. This will allow gas to escape the jar while the vegetables ferment. Let it sit on the counter for 3-4 days. Once fermented tighten the lid and store in the fridge.
Basil or Dill or Cilantro
Honey Dill Dip
Cilantro and Lime Dip
Basil Parmesan Dip
Herb Storage Tips
Store in a bag or resalable container in the fridge. Will last in the fridge for up to a week.
Honey Dill Dip
1/2 Mayo
1 tbsp Honey
1 tbsp yellow mustard or Dijon
2 tbsp fresh Dill, chopped
In a small bowl add all of the ingredients and combine.
Cilantro Lime Dip
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Juice from 2 limes
Zest from 1 lime
1 clove of minced garlic
1 tsp salt
In a bowl combine all of the ingredients. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
Basil Parmesan Dip
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup basil, roughly chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 clove of minced garlic
Pinch of salt
In a bowl combine all of the ingredients. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours
