Week 4: July 3

Red Butter Lettuce, Salad Turnips, Snow Peas, Early Italian Turnips, Broccoli,

Sugar Snap Peas or Rainbow Chard, Bok Choi & Dill

            This morning I went out to the garden with great hopes of picking gallons and gallons of sugar snap peas to give out to everyone. As it happens, there was only one gallon, which is not nearly enough to go around; so this week the four large shares get sugar snaps, and the small shares get rainbow chard.   If we get all the sunshine that the weather man is predicting there will be sugar snaps for everyone next Tuesday.        

            On Canada Day our cat Amber had four kittens. We have been watching her belly grow to the point it looked like she swallowed a football, with no idea how much bigger she would get or when she would give birth.  Mom has been strategically placing boxes full of old wool and towels all over the house, in the basement under the stairs, under the bed in the spare room, anywhere she thought the cat might go to have her babies.  Amber took no interest in these boxes.  Mom would put her in a box and pet her, encouraging her to use one of these appropriate homes but Amber just jumped out as soon as Mom stopped petting her and went back to sleeping wherever she pleased.  Sunday night, right before we went to the fireworks, she started having her babies on the couch.  Mom managed to relocate her to one of the boxes, but had to leave it on the couch for the night to keep her in it.  Now we have two orange and white kittens, and two smoky beige kittens to play with for the rest of the summer. 

Italian Summer Turnips:  white with a purple top, these flattened early turnips are good cooked or raw.  Cut them into thick slices and grill on the BBQ until tender then drizzle with a balsamic dressing and serve.  I just learned at market this weekend, that these are the turnips used to make the pink pickle served at kebab shops.    

Snow Peas: flat, tender, edible pea pods common in Asia.  They are excellent raw, stir fried, or lightly steamed. Just remember to remove the stem end and string first. 

Sugar Snap Peas: juicy, edible pods that are filled with delicious baby peas.  Cut off the stem and eat the whole thing pod and all.  They are excellent raw, or lightly steamed. 

Turkish Turnip Salad

2 lbs Early Italian Turnips, coarsely grated

2 carrots, grated

4 garlic cloves minced

3 Tbsp olive oil

¼ c white vinegar

2 Tbsp coarsely chopped parsley leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.  “The Sultans Kitchen” Ozcan Ozan

Dill Poppy Seed Dressing

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup mayonnaise (optional, you can use all yogurt)

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

½ tsp lemon zest

1 /4 cup chopped dill fronds

1 Tbsp poppy seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  “Rebar Modern Food Cookbook” Audrey Alsterberg & Wanda Urbanowicz

Week 3: June 30

Romaine Lettuce, Spinach, Rainbow Chard, Salad Turnips, Bok Choi,            Yukina Savoy, Green Onions, Garlic Scapes & Cilantro

Ranfurly Farm Meat Packs

            Ranfurly Farm pasture raises pork, beef, lamb, and chicken in addition to growing great vegetables.  Our meat is free of antibiotics and artificial growth hormones, and processed at a government inspected facility.  This year we are offering monthly meat packs, each month I will put together a selection of different cuts for $100.  If you are interested or have any questions, please call or send me an email.  We will deliver the meat pack with your vegetable bag the week of July 3^rd or July 10^th.   I have noted the package sizes and average weights below.  You can also order individual cuts of pork, beef and lamb, just let me know and I will send you a complete price list.   

July Meat Pack  -  $100

Cut	Quantity	Average Weight
Pork Chops	2 packs	4 chops, 2 lbs
Ground Beef	3 packs	3 lbs
Bacon or Breakfast sausage	1 pack	1 lb
Pork Shoulder Roast   or	1	3.5 lbs
Beef Bottom Round Roast		2.5 lbs
Spicy Italian or Bratwurst Sausage  (Pork)	1 pack	1 lb
Sirloin Steak	1 pack	2 steaks, 1.4 lbs
Pork Spare ribs	1 or 2 packs	2.46 lbs

Chickens will be ready by July 30^th, so let me know if you want to order any for the freezer.  Whole chicken $3.75/lb;  1/2 chickens are $4/lb.

Market News

            I have been spending my Saturday mornings at the Sorrento Village Farm and Craft Market since it started for the season in mid May.  The market is every Saturday from 8 am – 12 pm, at the Sorrento Shoppers Plaza.  

            Starting on Canada Day, I will be at the Scotch Creek Farmer’s Market every Sunday for the rest of the summer.  The market is held in the Shoppers Drug Mart parking lot from 10 am – 2 pm every Sunday.  I will be selling Ranfurly Farm pasture raised pork and beef, and vegetables.  Come check it out if you are looking for something to do this weekend.   

J

Bok Choi:  hour glass to barrel shaped, with green stalks and either purple or green leaves, this vegetable is perfect for stir fries.  You can cut the entire head in half lengthwise, or separate the stalks from each other and chop into chunks.  Use the stems and leaves.  

Rainbow Chard:  bright colored stems that are red, orange, yellow, pink, white and all shades in between.  Chop the entire bunch into ribbons, and steam or sauté with garlic in olive oil.  Add a splash of balsamic vinegar before serving.  Cook just until wilted and tender.    

Salad Turnips: small, round, white turnips that taste fruity and delicious.  Eat them raw. 

Yukina Savoy: with its white stems and deeply wrinkled, dark green, spoon shaped leaves this is a common ingredient in commercial salad mix.  It makes an excellent addition to stir fries, but I like it best raw, and would mix it with some lettuce and other greens for salad. 

Beef and Bok Choi with Noodles

250 g rice vermicelli noodles

2 tsp sesame oil

2 medium onions sliced

2 Tbsp red vinegar

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp peanut oil

600g eye of round steak, thinly sliced

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/3 cup hoisin sauce

3 Tbsp soy sauce

3 – 4 baby bok choi

Garlic scapes, cut into lengths

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Place noodles in a heat proof bowl and cover with boiling water, let stand 5 minutes, drain.

Heat half the sesame oil in wok or large pan, add onions, vinegar and sugar, cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized; remove.

Heat peanut oil in wok, add beef in batches, stir-fry until browned and tender, remove.

Heat remaining sesame oil in wok, add ginger and garlic, sauces, cilantro, garlic scapes and seeds.  Stir-fry for 5 minutes.  Add the bok choi and cook until tender.  Return the beef and onions to wok with the noodles, stir until heated through. 

Week 2: June 19

June 19, 2012

Arugula, Red Butter Lettuce, Radishes, Salad Turnips, Yukina Savoy, Salad Mix, Mizuna – Mustard bunches, Cilantro & Garlic Scapes           

            Last week I watched a young moose wade through the wetland at the end of our property. I had gone out for a walk at about 9 pm with the dogs when I heard a lot of splooshing down the road in the wetland.  I could just make out a head going through the cattails.  His antlers were just stubs, and it took me a minute to realize he did not have four ears.  I watched him as he continued swimming and wading through the middle of the wetland, disappearing into the trees.       

Garlic Scapes:  the immature flower stalks and buds of the garlic plant.   We snap them off so the plant puts its energy into growing a bigger bulb instead of seed production.  To prepare, snap off the bottom where it is tender same as asparagus, then use the rest.  Later in the season I cut off the flower bud and just eat the stalk, but right now the whole scape is tender so I would eat the whole thing.  I steam or sauté them for about 7 minutes and served them with butter, pepper and salt.  Garlic scapes can also be chopped up and used in any dish where you would normally use garlic for flavour.  I recommend chopping up a few and sautéing them with the Yukina Savoy, or using them instead of garlic cloves in the recipes below.  You can also try adding a few to your scrambled eggs or mashed potatoes.   

Mizuna: white stems and sharply pointed leaves, the purple variety has purple stems and edges.  Mizuna is tasty raw, but can be sautéed.   

Mustard Greens:  have a spicy mustard flavour.  Add them to your salad or cook like chard.  They would go nicely with the Yukina Savoy as a cooked green. 

Salad Turnips: small, round, white turnips that taste fruity and delicious.  Eat them raw.  Yum Yum.

Yukina Savoy: Tatsoi’s bigger, better, more nutritious cousin.  With its white stems and deeply wrinkled dark green, spoon shaped leaves it is a common ingredient in commercial salad mix.  It makes an excellent addition to stir fries, but I like it best raw, and would mix it with some lettuce and other greens for salad.  

            Yesterday as I walked through the garden I was amazed how things had grown in the last week when we have had so much rain.  Everything should look stressed from all the water but the plants are looking great.  The chard will be ready for harvesting next week, and all the peas are blooming.   When the rain stops everything is going to explode.  

            Our apprentice Derek is a trained chef, and he has been making the most amazing salad dressings for us, so I thought I would share a couple of his recipes with you. 

Derek’s Asian Salad Dressing

1 cup vegetable oil

½ cup white vinegar

¼ c soy sauce

3 cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp minced ginger

1 tsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp sugar

Chili paste or powder to taste

Raspberry Vinaigrette

1 cup vegetable oil

½ cup white or apple cider vinegar

½ cup frozen raspberries

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 Tbsp sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

For either recipe, blend all of the ingredients together in a blender or use a stick blender.  Keep refrigerated.

Garlic Scape Pesto

2 cups chopped garlic scapes

½ cup pine nuts

½ cup grated Romano cheese

6 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

½ tsp chilli flakes

½ tsp pepper

½ cup olive oil

Pulse all ingredients, except oil, in a blender or food processor to form a coarse paste.  Add the olive oil and pulse to blend.  Keep refrigerated.

Arugula pesto makes a great sandwich spread, cracker or vegetable dip. 

Mix it with yogurt or mayonnaise and a bit of lemon juice to make an excellent salad dressing.