IG Fresh Haul Week 5
Unleash the Leaf
August long weekend is kicking off and with that the IGFresh Hauls get a bit more variety added to them.
I am going to let you in on the unsung heroes of this years garden and well every season before as well.
The garden got a huge boost this past week, I will tell you how it keeps thriving through out these dog days of summer.
*Cherry Tomatoes *Half HaulGarden Raiders
Introducing to this weeks haul is green cabbage and patty pans. I frankly love the look of both patty pans. They add a much needed pop of colour to an other wise very green haul. Don’t let the patty pan fool you it is incredibly versatile. They can be sautéed, fried, shredded, cubbed or stuffed. Anything you do with a zucchini you can do with a patty pan. As patty pans come on peas are just starting to finish off. Well that would be the case from previous years but not this season. This spring I made sure to plant a second succession of peas two weeks later. This means when the first round is done the 2nd round is just coming on. The hope is that everyone will get two weeks of peas each.
None of these vegetables would be possible with out the little guys at the garden that make all of this possible. I am talking about the cats. They are by far the number one reason why all of these amazing vegetables exist. (you know other than the sun and the rain) They are constantly going through the perimeter of garden hunting rodents and preventing the garden from being eaten by hungry little garden raiders.
The dog days of summer are here and with that the plants get stressed with the heat and need more of a boost other than what watering will provide. In both July and August I will give the garden a boost with a fertilizer spray. This is no chemical fertilizer, it is in fact a fermented fish fertilizer. I dilute it in water and use a sprayer to directly apply the nutrients to the leafs of the plants. The plants will directly absorb the goodness through their leafs, from there they get a boost in the mid season. Bring on the peppers and tomatoes.
What’s In The Haul
HALF
Zucchini
Peas
Beets
Dill
FULL
Onions
Beets
Fennel
Cucumber
Cabbage
Kale
Dill
Week 5 Recipes
Fennel
Fennel and Orange Salad
Roasted Fennel Tomato Sauce
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.
Fennel and Orange Salad
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
1 tbsp Olive oil
Juice from a 1/2 of a lemon
Shaved Parmesan Cheese
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 garnish with shaved parmesan and toasted pistachios, enjoy.
Roasted Fennel Tomato Sauce
1 bulb fennel, cored and sliced
2 shallots, sliced
1 tsp anchovy paste
1 can of whole tomatoes
1/2 cup kalemata olives, halved
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper
In a sauté pan over medium high heat add the olive oil and wait for the pan to heat up. Once the olive oil is hot add in the anchovies and slice shallots and cook for about 2 minutes. Add in the sliced fennel and let it cook for about 5 minutes or until the fennel becomes tender. Next add a can of whole tomatoes and reduce the heat to medium and cover the pan. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes. Lastly add the olives and season with salt and pepper. Serve with pasta and enjoy.
Cabbage
Classic Coleslaw
Bacon and Fried Onion 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.
Classic Coleslaw
4 cups cabbage, shredded
1 Bunch of Green Onions
1/2 cup mayo
3 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
Salt and Pepper
In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Let the coleslaw sit in the fridge for a couple hours before serving.
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.
Cucumber
Tzatziki
Korean Cucumber Salad
Herb Cucumber and Whipped Feta Salad
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.
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.
Korean Cucumber Salad
1 Cucumber
1 tbsp soya sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/4 tsp sesame seeds
2 green onions
Slice the cucumbers. In a bowl mix the together the soya sauce, rice wine vinegar and sugar. Pour the sauce over the cucumbers and mix well. Add in the green onions and chilli powdered. Mix everything together and serve.
Herb cucumber and whipped Feta Salad
1 large or 2 medium cucumbers
1 bundle of green onions
1 cup of feta cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
Fresh chopped dill
Fresh chopped parsley
Pistachios, toasted
In a food processor add the feta and sour cream, and blend until nearly smooth. Pour out onto a serving tray.
Cut the cucumber into quarter length wise and then roughly chop into 1 inch sized cubes. Lay the cucumbers and chopped green onion on top of the whipped feta.
Garnish the salad with freshly chopped dill, parsley and toasted pistachios. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, the fresh squeezed lemon, salt and pepper.
Kale
Kale Pesto
Kale Pesto and Grilled Peach Pizza
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.
Kale Pesto and Grilled Peach Pizza
1 recipe of kale pesto
2 ripe peaches
Prosciutto
Feta or bocconcini
4 flatbreads, store bought pitas
Preheat the BBQ on high. Cut the peaches in half, remove the pit. Cut into 1/8 and grill on the BBQ.
While the peaches cook, preheat a cast iron pan on the BBQ. Remove the peaches. Once the skillet is hot start building the pizzas. Spoon and spread the kale pesto on top of the flatbread. Add the prosciutto, peaches and cheese to the top and place the pizza in the hot cast iron skillet. Close the lid and let it cook for about 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and the flatbread turns golden brown.
Peas
Sautéed Peas with Brown Butter and Dill
Peas Storage Tips:
Peas can be stored in a bag in the fridge for a week. Any longer the peas should be frozen.
Freezing peas, put the shelled peas into a pot of boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove and place the peas into a bowl of ice water. Strain the peas, putting the peas on a clean dish towel on a baking tray and freeze for 1 hour. Next put the peas into a zip lock bag and put into the freezer. They will last up to 6 months.
Sautéed Peas with Brown Butter and Dill
1 bag of peas, shelled
1 onion, sliced
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup dill, roughly chopped
Bring a pot of water up to a boil and add in the shelled peas. Let the peas boil for a minute and strain the water out.
In a saute pan over medium heat, add the butter to the pan and wait for it to melt. Keep an eye on the butter wait for it to start to turn light golden brown, then add the sliced onions and cook for about 2 minutes. Then add the peas and cook for another minute. Finish with chopped dill and enjoy
Zucchini
Summer Squash and Olive Oil Pasta
Zucchini Pancakes
Zucchini Storage Tips
Store zucchini, in a resealable bag in the fridge, with a piece of paper towel inside the bag to wick away any moisture. Zucchini will stay good this way for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
These little yellow sun looking things.
Summer Squash and 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.
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.
Onions
Charred Onion Dip
Onions 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.
Green onions can be stored in the fridge in a zip lock bag with a paper towel for up to a week.
Charred Onion Dip
2 onions, cut into rings
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and Pepper
Preheat the BBQ on high. Slice the onions into rings and toss in oil, salt and pepper. Grill on the BBQ until each side is charred. Place charred onions, garlic, cream cheese and sour cream into a food processor and blend. Add in the spices and blend again. Serve with crusty bread, crackers or veggie sticks.
Beets
Roasted Beet Salad
Beet and Rye Bread Salad with Feta
Garlicky Beet Greens
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.
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.
Beet and Rye Bread Salad with Feta
1 Bundle of beets
3 thick slices of rye or pumpernickel bread
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vinegar
1/2 cup feta cheese
Salt and Pepper
With some tin foil wrap and roast the beets in the oven for 45 minutes. Grill the bread on the BBQ and set off to the side.
Once the beets are cooked let them cool slightly and carefully peel. Chop into rough chunks and put into a bowl. Roughly chop the grilled bread into bight size pieces and add to the bowl with the beets. Add in the chopped onion, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss everything together and garnish with feta cheese.
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.
Dill
Ranch Dressing
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.
