IG Fresh Haul Week 9
Squash Your Expectations Haul
The Garden is on auto pilot this time of year, a lot coming out and nothing going in.
One thing that is definitely going on is the spider population. I will let you in on how I organically control spiders in the garden.
It is later in the season so many vegetables are ready to come out of the garden. Sometimes this means I need spend some quality evening time out there as well.
*Evening Views from the Garden *Half HaulThe spider population has growing over the last couple weeks, that or I am starting to see them more and more. One thing for sure is, I don’t gain any super powers from spider bites. It makes me thankful that the spiders in the garden aren’t harmful to me. None the less I would like to control the population a bit. So I will let you in on how I successfully deal with spiders in a organic good for the earth way. The short of it I step on them, hahahaha I know its grown breaking. Really nothing is really more organic than your own foot. Sometimes the simplest things work the best.
With the abundance coming out of the garden, sometimes morning harvest just don’t cut it. I really want to get ahead of the garden and prepping to put it away for the winter. So harvest during the morning and clear beds out in the evening. The great thing about evening work is I get to catch some amazing Saskatchewan sunsets. I have to say golden hour at the garden is pretty great.
What’s In The Haul
HALF
Onions
Celery
Carrots
Cucumber
Purple Cabbage
FULL
Buttercup Squash
Cherry Tomatoes
Hungarian Hot Peppers
Kale
Beets
Carrots
Cucumber
Zucchini
Onions
Parsley
Week 9 Recipes
Purple Cabbage
Purple Cabbage Salad with Tahini Dressing
Purple Cabbage Slaw with Peanut 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.
Purple Cabbage Slaw with Peanut Dressing
Slaw
1 Purple cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 onion, sliced
Dressing
1/4 cup peanut or almond butter
2 tbsp soya sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 cloves of crushed garlic
1 tbsp lime juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a food processor shred the cabbage, carrot and onion; put into a large bowl and set off to the side. In a medium bowl combine the nut butter, soya sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix together the ingredients for dressing. Add it to the bowl of shredded vegetables and evenly combine. Garnish with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Celery
Waldorff Salad
Caribbean Golden Rice
Celery Storage Tips:
Store celery in a resealable plastic bag with a piece of paper towel in the bag. This will help to wick away the moister and make your celery last in the fridge for up to a week..
Waldorff Salad
1 bundle of celery, roughly chopped, use the celery leaves as well
1 onion, chopped
1 apple, cut into cubes
1/4 cup of dried cranberries
1/4 toasted walnuts
1/4 cup mayo
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice from 1/2 lemon or 1 tbsp vinegar
Salt and Pepper
*optional chicken breast*, chopped
Cut and chop all of the ingredients and place in a bow with the mayo, olive oil, lemon juice, chicken, salt and pepper. Mix everything together and chill in the fridge for 2 hours before eating.
Caribbean Golden Rice
1 cup of celery chopped
2 onions, diced
3 carrots, diced
1-2 Jalapenos, diced
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1 zucchini, diced
2 cups Rice of your choice
1 can of light coconut milk
2 cups chicken broth
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
Salt and Pepper
Start by placing a large pot over medium high heat, add in the olive oil. Once the oil is hot add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic and jalapeños. Let all the veggies cook together for 4-5 minutes. Once the vegetables are softened slightly, add in the rice, stir the rice into the vegetables and oil to insure that every grain of rice is coated in oil. Next to the pan add cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, cloves and allspice. Let the spices cook for a minute to start to release all of their natural oils.
Add the coconut milk and broth, bring up to a simmer. Once the rice is simmering add the chopped tomatoes and zucchini. Season with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to low and let the rice cook for 20 minutes or until its tender.
Cucumber
Crispy Chick Pea and Cucumber Salad
Cucumber and White Bean 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.
Crispy Chick Pea and Cucumber Salad
1 Cucumber
1 shallot, sliced
1 16oz can of chick peas
1 tsp smoked paprika
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup yogurt
1/8 cup tahini
1 tbsp lemon
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp dill
Salt and Pepper
Preheat the oven to 425F. Drain and rinse the can of chick peas. Toss together the chick peas, shallots, olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
Combine the yogurt, tahini, lemon, honey and dill in a food processor and blend.
On a plate spread out the dressing, then top with the crispy chick peas and shallots.
Cut the cucumber into 1/2 inch pieces and garnish on top of the chick peas.
Cucumber White Bean Salad
1 cucumber
1 can of navy beans, strained and rinsed
1 onion, diced
Dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar or white vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp thyme leafs
2 cloves of crushed garlic
Salt and Pepper
Chop the cucumber and onions into bite size pieces and combine in a bowl with the drained and rinsed navy beans. For the dressing combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Pour over the beans and cucumber and mixed thoroughly. For best results, let the salad sit and marinate in the fridge for a couple hours.
Cherry Tomatoes
Roasted Tomato Aioli
Tomato Storage Tips:
Store your tomatoes, upside down (stem side down) on a tray left out on the counter. Ripened tomatoes will store like this for up to 6 days. If they last that long.
Freezing tomatoes has never been simpler, start by coring the tomato. Next place the tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 5 hours. Once frozen solid, remove the tomato from the freezer and put into freezer bags. Put back into the freezer, the tomatoes will last like this for up to a year.
Roasted Tomato Aioli
1 cup cheery tomatoes
1 egg
1 clove of garlic
1 cup canola oil (or any nutrial tasting oil)
1 tsp dijon mustard
Basil
Salt and Pepper
Roast tomatoes and a bulb of garlic in the oven at 350 F for 1 hour. In a jar combine the oil and egg and blend until combined. Add in the cooked tomato, roasted garlic, dijon mustard, basil, salt and pepper. Blend until the aioli becomes smooth. Enjoy as a salad dressing or a spread for sandwiches.
Hungarian Hot Peppers
Hot Pepper Street Corn Dip
Pepper Storage Tips
Peppers will last in your fridge crisper drawer for up to 2 weeks.
To freeze peppers, slice or dice the pepper to the desired size. Next evenly space out the peppers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for 2 hours. After 2 hours remove the peppers from the freezer and place in zip lock freezer bags and put back into the freezer. Peppers will store like this for up to 6 months.
Hot Pepper Street Corn Dip
3 Jalapenos, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 feta cheese
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 cup of cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar
Salt and Pepper
In a skillet a bit of oil and place over medium heat. Add in the onion, garlic and chopped jalapeños. Let it cook for about 3-4 minutes. Next add in the corn and cumin and stir to evenly combine. Remove from the heat and add in the sour cream, cream cheese, and feta. Mix together until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Top the dip off with the 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until the dip becomes bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips.
Kale
Kale Kimchi
Kale and Barley Bake
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 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.
Kale and Baked Barley
1 Bundle of kale, roughly chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 cloves of garlic
2 cups of barley
4 tbsp olive oil
4 cups of chicken broth
Fresh herbs, parsley and oregano
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Put a large pot over medium high heat, add in the olive oil and heat up. Add in the chopped onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook until slightly cook, about 3 minutes. Add in the barley and cook and coat in oil. Add in the roughly chopped kale, along with the 4 cups of chicken broth. Add in the fresh herbs. Allow to cook covered for 40 minutes on medium low. Finish with salt, pepper and grated cheddar cheese.
Onions
French Onion Soup
Caramelized Onion Pasta
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.
Green onions can be stored in the fridge in a zip lock bag with a paper towel for up to a week.
French Onion Soup
2 Leeks
2 Onions
4 cloves of crushed garlic
3 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup white wine
2 Liters of chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 bundle of thyme
Salt and Pepper
French bread
1 cup Gruyere cheese, cheddar, or swiss; shredded
In a large pot over medium heat, add the oil and butter. Roughly chop the onions and leeks (remember clean the dirt between the leeks). Add them to the pot and cook the onions and leeks for 5 minutes and add in the garlic. Add the white wine to the onions and reduce the wine until it is nearly dissolved. Pour in the broth, and add in the bay leaves and thyme. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for an hour. Remember to stir every 10 minutes to prevent sticking to the bottom.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the bread in 1 inch thick pieces and toast in the oven for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with olive oil and put the cheese on top and put back into the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the croutons from the oven.
Ladle the soup into a bowl and top with warm croutons.
Caramelized Onion Pasta
4 onions, sliced
1 bulb of garlic
Drizzle of Balsamic reduction
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 block of Boursin cheese
1 box of pasta of your choice
In a casserole dish add the sliced onion, drizzle with the balsamic glaze, olive oil, salt and pepper. Cut the top off of a bulb of garlic place it in the casserole dish with the onions. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. While the onions caramelize, cook your pasta of choice. Before you strain your pasta, reserve 1/4 cup of the starchy cooking water. Strain the pasta and put off to the side. Once the onions are out of the oven, and golden brown. With the back of a fork or using a pair of tongs squeeze the roasted garlic out of the bulb and mix it into the onions evenly. Add in the Boursin cheese and pasta, mix everything evenly. Until creamy and smooth. Garnish with fresh basil. Enjoy!
Zucchini
Mediterranean Noodles
Zucchini Pancakes
Zucchini and Grilled Bread gratin
Zucchini Spice Cake
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.
Mediterranean Noodles
1 large zucchini
1 cucumber, roughly chopped
8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta
Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp oregano
Salt and Pepper
Spirralize the zucchini into noodles and set off to the side. In a bowl mix together all the ingredients for the dressing. Mix the dressing and the raw zoodles and dressing together until evenly coated.
Add the chopped vegetables and feta to the top and enjoy.
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 and Grilled Bread Gratin
1-2 zucchini, Sliced
1 Onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic
3 thick slices of crusty bread or 2 cups premade croutons
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and Pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Slice the zucchini into coins. Slice the onion and garlic and set off to the side. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil on the bread and toast or grill. Cut the bread into cubes. In a baking dish toss together the bread, zucchini, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Grate the cheddar cheese over top. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Enjoy warm.
Zucchini Spice Cake
4 cups zucchini, grated
3 cups flour or GF flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup white sugar or 1 cup of honey
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9*13 inch pan.
Grate the zucchini and add the 1/2 tsp of salt to it, mix well and set off to the side in a colander.
In a large bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl mix together the eggs, honey, vanilla and coconut oil. Combine the dry and wet ingredients together. Lastly add the drained shredded zucchini to the batter and mix well to combine.
Pour into the greased baking dish and bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes. It will be done when you poke it with a tooth pick and it comes out clean.
Carrots
Roasted Carrots and Herb Salad
Carrot Salad with Whipped Feta
Carrot Mustard Slaw
Carrots 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 Carrot and Herb Salad
1 lbs carrots, tips cut off
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup cilantro
1/8 cup parsley
1/8 cup dill
Couple mint leaves
Juice from 1 lemon
Roast carrots with the olive oil, salt and pepper for 45 minutes or until tender. Mix the dressing ingredients in a food processor. Pour dressing over the roasted carrots.
Carrot Salad with Whipped Feta
10-12 medium carrots, cut in half length wise
1 tsp olive oil
3 tbsp sour cream
1/4 cup brie
1 tsp honey
1 tsp thyme
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp Chilli flakes
Salt and Pepper
Place the oven wrack at the highest level and pre heat the broiler on your oven to high.
Cut the carrots in half, length wise. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper, spread out evenly on a sheet tray. Put under the broiler and let the carrots cook for 12-15 minutes. You want the carrots to char. While the carrots cook place the brie, sour cream, honey and thyme in a food processor and blend until smooth. Next, make the chilli oil, in a small pot over medium hight heat add in the olive oil and start to warm. Once the olive oil starts to warm and become fragrant add in the chilli flakes and remove from the heat.
Now to assemble, remove the charred carrots from the oven. Take your brie cheese mixture and spread it out evenly on a plate, next place the charred carrots on top and finish with a tbsp of the warm chilli oil. Serve with crusty bread. Enjoy.
Carrot Mustard Slaw
1 Bundle of Carrots, shredded
1 onion, sliced
1 cup of micro greens
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
Salt and Pepper
Remove the tops from the carrots, with a box grater, shred the carrots. Thinly slice the onion. In a bowl mix together the carrot, onion, and micro greens of your choice.
In a separate bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, dijon, honey, salt and pepper.
Add the dressing to the vegetables and mix together. Let it marinate together for 1 hour in the fridge.
Buttercup Squash
Honey and Chili Roasted Squash
Stuffed Buttercup Squash
Squash Storage Tips:
Squash store great in a dark 10 degree room. Typically a basement or closet. They can be stored like this for up to 4 months.
Honey and Chili Roasted Squash
1 sugar pumpkin
3 tbsp honey
1 jalapeno pepper or 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Carefully peal the pumpkin, cut in half and remove the seeds. Cut the pumpkin into 1 inch cubes. Drizzle with olive oil, honey and season with chilli, salt and pepper. Roast in a 400F oven for for 30-40 minutes. Makes a great side dish for meals or special occasions.
Stuffed Buttercup Squash
1 butter cup squash, seeds removed
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
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.
Cut the top of the squash off and take out the seeds like you would with a jack-o-lantern. Add the stuffing into the squash and place the lid back on. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.
Beets
Beet Brownies
Beet and Green Onion Salad
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.
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.
Beet and Green Onion Salad
5-6 medium red beets
1 bundle of green onions
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh rosemary
Steak cooked to your liking
Salt and Pepper
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Wash your beets and place in a casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil and let them roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes. Just until they are for tender. Once the beets are cooked. Remove them from the oven and let them cool slightly. Peel the beets while they are still warm and set off to the side for the time being. In a bowl mix together the oil, vinegar, mustard, herbs, salt and pepper. Chop the beets and green onion into bit size pieces and put into the bowl with the dressing. Mix everything together until the beets are coated with the dressing. Server with your grilled steak. Enjoy!
