After the deer ate the snow and snap peas at Kildara Farms they started on the Shelling peas. Somehow they spit out the shells and just ate the peas.
For those of you thinking of becoming urban hunters Farmer Brian Hughes says the only way you can hunt deer in Saanich is with bow and arrow(!). Here is the link to the urban deer hunter documentary on CBC radio in case you missed it from last week’s newsletter.
Brian also shares that the shelling pea pods can be eaten. A customer from the farmer’s market shared how she takes the inner layer out of the pods and is then able to chop up and sauté what remains! (Don’t tell the deer…)
More Crop Updates
Blueberries will be in full swing as of Friday! Ruby of Ruby Red Farm in North Saanich gave me the heads up that she is beginning to harvest this week. She had warned us in the beginning of July that the crop was late (like everything else) but was looking beeeeeautiful!
Rock for Goldstream Park
To help with the cleanup of Goldstream Park there will be a swing dance this Thursday!
(What needs to be cleaned up? There is still a mess from the fuel tanker that upended on the Malahat a couple months ago.)
July 28th, 6pm to 1am
Victoria Event Centre – 1415 Broad St
$15 admission
There will be swing lessons from 6-7pm and again at 10-11pm in case you forgot how or never learned
Goodbye and Hello? Hello…
To help send dear Page and Ashley on their way Share Organics held a Summer Prom! Folks showed up in their best duds from any decade. I’ll hopefully find some pictures to put on the blog soon!
We’re still on the lookout for some awesome people to help us pack veggie orders. Send us a resume if you love veggies, need work and are available Tuesday through Thursday. susan@shareorganics.bc.ca
Roasted Potatoes with Mint, Lemon and Garlic
Serves 6-8 as a side dish
2 pounds (1 kg) baby red potatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
Preheat oven to 375 F. (190 C). Toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange in one layer in a baking pan. Roast in oven one hour. Transfer potatoes to serving bowl. Toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil, garlic, lemon zest and mint. Serve immediately or cool slightly.
Even with our new strawberry grower, Becky at Carmenia Farms, the yield of berries has not met our purchase levels from last year. Twice the growers and only half our needs have been met! We are working hard to get a few flats out to bulk purchasers this week. At this time we’re not sure if we will have any strawberries at all for the week of July 20th. Out at Sungold Meadows Tom had a poor harvest on his most recent strawberry planting. He had been counting on those for a big part of this year’s harvest. All we can say is thanks for all you do, Tom!
On a more optimistic note there was good pollination earlier this year in the apple orchards on Salt Spring Island. Ian of Isabella Orchards is looking forward to a good crop thanks to the bees!
Queen of The Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us?
A profound, alternative look at the global bee crisis from Taggart Siegel, critically acclaimed director of the grass-roots hit The Real Dirt on Farmer John.
Premiering at Cinecenta, University of Victoria, July 10th-14th!
Introducing Local Cleaning Products
At Share Organics we have always offered chemical free, environmentally sustainable, local food. It has always made sense to me to use environmentally safe cleaners as well and now we have found a company who uses local soap makers too!
Supporting Gentle Earth Products makes good sense! Their full selection of cleaners is totally bio-degradable, easy to use, non toxic and gets the job done.
Something else that’s a breath of fresh air:
Refillable bottles – several of their products are sold with the ability to buy a concentrate and refill your bottle many times with a concentrate-saving money and bottles going out with the trash.
Locally made by Victoria’s finest soapers-employing people in our city who love what they do!
Uplifting natural fragrances
Now that’s win, win, win for Share Organics, our community, and our planet. Check out their website, www.gentleearth.ca, for more details and let us know if you want us to bring anything else in for you to keep your home chemical free.
Warm Potato Salad with Tomatoes, Olives & Garlic Scapes
1 lb new potatoes, washed and cut for salad
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
5-7 firm green olives, pitted and chopped
1 garlic scape, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat potatoes in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut side-down in a sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for about 5 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom; flip, and let cook another 2-3 minutes or until soft inside. Let cool a few minutes.
Once potatoes are just cool enough to handle, give them a coarse chop. Toss with the remaining ingredients and serve immediately.
Our Fairtrade bananas did not ripen up and are still super green – our wholesaler, Discovery Organics, has offered us a deal on Pineapple and Mangos as a replacement. We have subbed into the boxes as best we can. Enjoy!
Here is an update from Stefan on the upcoming Okanogan fruit season. “Here are the start dates for BC fruit, give or take 10 days. This year will be later due to the late cold spring season.
Cherries – 2nd week of July
Apricots – 2nd week of July
Nectarines – 3-4th week of July
Peaches – 2-3rd week of July
Plums – 1st week of August
Strawberries – 1st week of August
By all accounts pollination was fine and there should be good volumes on everything once it gets here. Unless it pours rain during the harvest window.”
We’ve all noticed that food prices have been rising all winter. This past spring, for the first time, wholesale pricing from California has been higher than the contract price we pay the local growers! This contract price is our farmers’ minimum price to make ends meet and we pay them that even if California prices have been lower. If California prices increase we will match them. This has finally happened and it is good news for the farmers! It is good to see the true value of food being reflected.
Here are some links to websites exploring some aspects of the price increase
To make this increase as palatable for you all as possible we need to increase the price of our boxes. This will wiggle the amount of produce we can fit in the boxes and give room for more local crops. With Okanogan fruits coming in soon and higher priced crops (like berries) on the immediate horizon we feel the time is now. The last time we raised prices was September 2008. This price increase will also address some recent feedback: the Family Box is too small and smaller box people (ex. Singles box) sometimes have trouble getting through an entire delivery.
Here are the proposed new prices, beginning July 12th:
Family Box $45
Orchard Box $38
Singles Box $32
Local Box $38
Feedback is appreciated, Let us know what you think!
Queen of The Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us?
A profound, alternative look at the global bee crisis from Taggart Siegel, critically acclaimed director of the grass-roots hit The Real Dirt on Farmer John.
Box Office Magazine calls it, “The Feel-Good Advocacy Movie of the Year.” and Roger Ebert calls it: “A remarkable documentary that’s also one of the most beautiful nature films I’ve seen.” and Current calls it: “Likely the most important documentary of the year.”
Premiering at Cinecenta, University of Victoria, July 10th-14th!
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
This is Susan’s favourite way to consume portly portobellos!
Clean 2 portobello mushrooms and remove stems, reserve for other use. Place caps on a plate with the gills up
In a small bowl, combine:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tablespoons minced shallots or onion
1 garlic green, minced
2 tsp fresh or 1 tsp dried oregano
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Pour mixture evenly over the mushroom caps and let stand for 1 hour. Grill over hot grill (in a grilling basket) or under a broiler for 10 minutes. Serve immediately. Serve on bun with other grilled veggies and condiments of your choice!
BC organic growers met in Sidney this past weekend for their conference and AGM. Over 200 attended the Saturday workshops covering many aspects of farming from mulching crops to livestock to business management. COABC (Certified Organic Association of BC) is the umbrella group that represents the regional certifying bodies at the Provincial and Federal level. We now have national organic standards. Certified Organic is your guarantee that these standards (or higher) are met. Local farmers in their certifying groups (in our area: Island Organics Producers Association) determine their own standard while complying with national ones.
There was an interesting discussion on the use of “organic” and “natural” in marketing. Natural has no standards and is essentially meaningless. It means something different to everybody- no chemicals, no Tran’s fat, no GMO. In actual fact there is no commonly or legally accepted definition for a product to be called “natural.” At some point in the process we can only hope that it came from nature.
It’s that time of year!
Storage crops start to break down in the spring. They soften, dry out, or sprout! Hey, its live food! Our production team is doing their darndest to sort and send only the best. It’s a struggle at this time of year to bring you local storage in pristine shape.
We appreciate the feedback we have received and your continued support for local organics at this tricky time of year. Some of our root crops such as parsnip and rutabaga are still dug just before delivery thanks to our mild climate. Too much rain this year did ruin our expected spring carrot crop.
Farmer Dave Chambers from Madrona Farm right here in Victoria was telling us about the upcoming crops. See more on our YouTube Farm Report.
One of the down sides of winter farming is that the pests are more numerous and voracious (the over-wintering carrots at Madrona have gone to the Carrot Rust Fly). Another downside is that you have to work all year round!
The brassica plants are sending up shoots with the promise of local sprouting greens at the end of March. These will include the buds of the upcoming flowers! Madrona will also be sampling the first asparagus – a long term project that a started over 2 years ago. Not enough of a crop to share with us here at Share Organics this year but a promise for the future!
The local organic certifying group IOPA (Island Organic Producers Association) met at their annual general meeting this past Sunday. Lunch was great with hearty soup and a salad of local greens with local blueberries and hazelnuts! Share Organics is an associate member and we encourage all our farmers to become certified organic. This group reviews and sets standards for Local Organic on our behalf. This year IOPA is hosting the BC organic growers at their annual conference March 4 and 5th in Sidney. Registration is open to the public and tickets for the evening talks are available. The Saturday trade show is open to all as well.
Melt 2 tbsp of the butter/coconut oil in a soup pot, over a low heat. Add and sauté the onion, apple and parsnips for 5 minutes.
Add the stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender or in the food processor. Add the milk or cream and the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Reheat to just about simmering.
Why don’t we have local kale in the boxes this week?
Kale will grow here at this time of year BUT it grows very slowly due to cold temperatures and short length of daylight. In a four foot row you might get a few leaves for your soup every few weeks but harvesting 200 plus bunches for all of us – sorry! This is a good reason to grow your own so think about planting some greens in a plot or a pot and head off to Victoria’s Seedy Saturday coming February 19 to learn more about all things edible!
Radical Sustainablity – Passive Solar Heat for Share Organics
Share Organics and the Green Energy Group of Transition Town Victoria have just installed a passive low tech solar heater on the roof that will heat the upstairs office in the winter. We love this project because the panel is made from recycled materials (glass door and pop cans). It features radical sustainability: available to all and not just those who can afford it!! Click here for more information on Transition Town Victoria
We’ve had a few interested people come to the warehouse to see the solar panel and to chat with the fellow who installed it for us, Geoff deRuiter. This is a video created by one of our visitors and Share Organics friend, Aaron Mercer.
Crop planning continues with our Island farmers. We meet to discuss our needs for the upcoming season and they agree to grow certain crops for us. It’s a handshake deal and we all know that in the end it depends on Mother Nature’s co-operation. Share O. has been concentrating on extending the seasons and on increasing volumes.
This upcoming season the different types of boxes will have different items in them. Giving you more variety! We’ll still be eating in season so you can’t expect blueberries in April but in berry season – June, July and August – we hope to be able to offer all berries every week! While all our farmers grow to BC organic standards, some are not certified. We are encouraging all to certify.
The BC Certified Organic Growers conference will be held here in Victoria the first weekend in March. Workshops and Keynote Speakers are open to the public. Friday night Chris Thoreau will be speaking on Urban Farming and Saturday evening Ari Derfel speaks on Slow Money.
“Slow Money is both a movement and an organization. The movement is a response to money that is too fast, companies that are too big, and finance that is too complex. Its goal is to make it possible for people to easily and directly connect our values to the way we spend and invest our money. It starts with local food…….”
This fell into my inbox this morning and I had an impulse to share it all with you! This article by Linda Geggie is a part of a larger newsletter from the Community Social Planning Council. CR-FAIR website
dreams of local abundance,
Denise <3
Planning for food security in BC’s Capital Region
Eating locally over the winter?
One of my favourite things about the fall is the abundance of the harvest. I love to look with satisfaction at my rows of canning jars on the shelf and a full freezer. Every year as the winter blues hit, I find myself opening a can of fresh salsa just to get an instant taste of summer and lift my spirits.
Coming from the Okanagan with its fabulous climate for fruit production, we always canned in our family. Now my sister and I both also find ourselves continuing this tradition. My husband still can’t get used to the fact that I am up and busy till the wee hours pulling another batch of jars out of the steaming water of the canning pot with a slightly exhausted yet happy grin on my face!
As people in this region look to living more sustainably there is a lot of interest in eating local food year round. This can be a challenge especially as we head into the winter months. We are now used to diets that have no relation to the seasons, and moving to meals anchored by cooler weather leafy greens and root vegetables is a leap for most families. I know I find it a challenge to be creative and find things my kids will eat in the cooler season.
Luckily, for us there are many resources that provide the tools and information that help us on our way to making adjustments that lighten our load on the planet at the same time as benefiting our health and the local economy. Here are a few tips to help move you along the spectrum of eating more sustainably and healthily this winter.
Eating locally costs too much? Cost is often seen as a barrier when seemingly “cheaper” imported food is more accessible. Besides considering that local products are often superior to food that travels a long distance, some strategies that can help with accessibility issues are to use whole ingredients, that is, cooking more from scratch. Making big batches with friends or as part of a community kitchen also allows for bulk buying and usually someone has good large batch recipes they will share.
Always in a hurry at the end of the day? Invest in a crock pot. I have had amazing results throwing ingredients together into the pot in the morning and coming home to a hot meal at dinnertime. There are lots of recipes on the internet.
Trouble finding local foods over the winter? If you can shop at local markets (there will be a weekly winter market in Market Square this year over the winter) or be part of a local farmers’ box program, you will be introduced to a variety of winter greens and root vegetables. Often they include recipes that help to make delicious meals of winter veggies.
Getting those greens in ya? The deep leafy greens, are extremely important to our health, but eating them, let along getting the kids to eat them? Tough! My trick is using the blender. I find steaming or stir frying them and then adding to pasta sauces or, and a proven winner in my house, on pizza! The root vegetables and squashes? Soups! Preparing batches on the weekend helps make sure they don’t get skipped over in the busy week.
Space to grow? Surprisingly we can grow food year round in the Capital Region, want to learn how? For starters see Carolyn Herriot’s article “Eating from your winter vegetable garden” or Year-Around Harvest: Winter Gardening on the Coast, by Linda Gilkeson. Take in a course offered by many local growers and organizations (see the CR-FAIR Calendar for dates for workshops)
According to Linda Gilkenson for Winter Crop Planting Dates-Try these!
February and March: Leeks
April-May: Swiss Chard, parsley
Early June: Brussel sprouts, winter cabbage
Mid to Late June: Purple sprouting broccoli, winter cauliflower, winter cabbage
Early July: Carrots, beets, endive, and swiss chard, beets, kohlrabi
Late July to Early August: Arugula, fall and winter lettuce, mustards, spinach, onions
Late Aug to mid Sept: Corn salad, cilantro, arugula, winter lettuces
October: Garlic and broad beans
Want to learn more about actually making the shift to eating more locally? The Continuing Studies Program at UVic will be offering a seasonally based course in February, April, and September called a “Busy Person’s Everyday Guide to Eating Locally”. See the UVic Continuing Studies Calendar for more information and to register.
Also here are a couple some local Food Blogs to check out:
Green Salad with Eggplant, Fennel, and a Roasted Garlic,Tomato,Tarragon dressing on a bed of Quinoa.
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
Olive oil
1 bulb of garlic, broken into cloves
½ lbs of tomatoes, (usually 1 medium or 2 small) washed
1 bulb of fennel, trimmed and quartered, or halved if small, fronds removed and set aside
1 bag salad greens or head of lettuce or spinach
1 long Japanese style eggplant, sliced in half
dijon mustard
mayonaise (optional)
apple cider vinegar
honey
tarragon, finely chopped
salt and pepper
pine nuts or sunflower seeds (optional)
feta (optional)
capers (optional)
black olives (optional)
fresh basil (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 400.
Boil 2 scant cups of water, add the quinoa and cook for 10-15 minutes, it should still have “bite” when it’s done. Let cool. Spread it out on a large plate to cool faster, or make ahead of time.
Put the cloves, whole tomatoes and fennel on a baking dish. Oil the fennel and garlic, but not the tomatoes. Roast for about 20 minutes or until the cloves are soft, tomatoes are blackened and oozing, and fennel is just soft but still a bit crisp. Basically you need to keep an eye on what’s happening in the over. Let cool.
Add a tablespoon of oil and heat a frying pan to medium-high. Add the eggplant halves, cut side down, and fry for 5 minutes on each side. Check to make sure it’s not burning. It should be crisping and softening but not falling apart. You may need to adjust the heat. Let cool.
When vegetables are cool enough to handle, peel, core, and chop the tomato. Peel the garlic cloves. Chop the fennel lengthwise into slices and set aside. Chop the eggplant cross wise in chunks and set aside.
To make the dressing, put the tomato and garlic in a blender or food processor. Add a tsp of dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp mayo, 2-3 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar, 1-2 Tbsp honey, 2 Tbsp chopped tarragon. Pulse. Add up to 1 cup of olive oil slowly while blending. You want a thick consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding more mustard, mayo, vinegar, and/or honey to suit your taste. Season with salt and pepper.
To assemble the salad, i suggest arranging in individual bowls. Evenly divide the cooled quinoa, top with greens, then the sliced eggplant and fennel, pour the dressing over and garnish with the optional toppings (pine nuts, sunflower seeds, capers, crumbled feta and/or fresh chopped basil). Yum!
Cooking Courses
Local Veggie chef Sonja Limburger has some courses you might be interested in. I attended her Nepalese Vegan Cooking course last winter and it was yummy! Check out other courses in the Oak Bay Rec and Fairfield Community Centre Program guides fro other courses.
Up coming classes for next week
Basic canning and food preservationTues. Sept.21 / Esquimalt rec. center
If you missed learning from your grandmother, then this class is a chance to experience canning. We will choose fruits and vegetables from this bountiful harvest season. Prepare for a hands on class (bring an apron and a small knife). You will go home with three different canned items, jars provided.
$46.00 6:30 – 9:15
This class held at Ecole Brodeur in Esquimalt located at 637 Head street.
To register call: 250- 412-8500
You are invited to join the chef to learn some tasty and nutritious recipes as an alternative to turkey. The menu includes a Wild rice & chestnut (or pecan) stuffed squash with a Cranberry orange sauce, Savoury Tofu walnut balls and more. Enjoy a satisfying dinner after the lesson. $45.00
Held at the Thrifties cooking and life style center in Tuscany village located at 1626 McKenzie Ave by the corner of Shelbourne
To register go online to this website : www.thriftyfoods.com/EN/main/cooking/centre/cooking-lifestyle-centre-our-classes.html
Well the Share Organics red truck decided it did not want to go to Cobble Hill on Sunday. It would rather go to the garage so…we did not make it. However a few Share Organics customer did get to go and here is what they said.
“ it was a fun time out there! i learned tonnes and am now wondering whose backyard i can take over and sow some grain this fall. know anybody??? lucy (my 7 yr old) is outside winnowing her precious handful of red fife right now….. we want to be part of the CSA next year” Tracey Cook
“We had a great time, with Heather and Brock sharing so much of their knowledge, and then we got to work, cutting, carrying, loading trucks, stomping them down and tying them up and then off to the combine. We were able to cut and combine the Red Fife, Hard winter wheats and the Rye as well.” Beatrice
Report from Heather and Brock at Island Grains
It ended up that each 875 square foot shareholder will receive 8.75 pounds of the Hard White Spring wheat (HWSW), 9.25 pounds of the Red Fife wheat and 19 pounds of rye, for a total of 37 pounds of grain, just slightly less than the 40 pounds we had estimated.
Josh Mellor and his combine and baler were a huge help, as were those helping feed the combine and baler. Josh called last night and mentioned he was blown away by how hard and well everyone was working, including those at the back end of the combine, where it was dusty and fast-paced.
Besides the combine, we harvested old school, using only scythes, sickles or scissors to cut it down, which was hard work, but didn’t take as long as we thought it might. A big thank you to David Slade for helping scythe despite risking re-injuring a recently dislocated shoulder.
IT IS SOMETIMES HARD TO GUARANTEE WHEN IT’S THIS FRESH!
Tom up in Cobble Hill had his fingers cross all weekend for lots of sunshine but it was not enough to ripen most of the melons in his fields. When you are hoping to get produce this fresh sometimes the weather does not co-operate!
We will still have Tom’s honeydew melons but half the melons with bee honey Galia and are coming from our farmer friends on the mainland!
ISLAND CORN ONLY HALF BAKED
A Sunday call from Joe at Kingcott Farms with bad news about the local corn. His large first crop did not get pollinated. Joe thinks that the heavy rains in June knocked the pollen off the plants when they were only half way pollinated. So the cobs came out with just the bottom kernels formed up nicely. Half baked you might say! Joe told us that each tassel is connected to a kernel and each tassel needs the pollen to form its own kernel – in layman’s terms!
The good news is that we have ordered the extra cobs from our friends on the mainland so corn is in the box. More good news – Joe believes his second crop coming in about 3 weeks is looking good! He also brought us some figs – enough for the LOCAL ONLY BOX. THANKS TO Joe for sending fresh figs for free! We have been hoping for years that the timing would work out. They are ready and we have put them in the LOCAL ONLY BOX – they have been short on fruit for awhile. And the Orchard Box – because the numbers worked! Let us know how you enjoyed them.
Last spring Share Organics bought a share in the Island Grain Projects CSA program. We participated in a workshop on planting in the spring time. This past weekend a harvesting and threshing workshop was planned but damp weather prevented the harvest. We are hoping it will take place next Sunday August 29, 11 am to 4 pm.
If you are interested in joining in on the experience please contact Susan at susan(at)shareoganics.bc.ca
We expect to be cutting the grain, loading it into trucks, hauling it to another farm nearby for threshing. Threshing is the process of loosening the edible part of the grain from the scaly, inedible chaff that surrounds it. Threshing does not remove the bran from the grain. Traditionally threshing may be done by beating the grain using a flail on a threshing floor. A modern version of this in some areas is to spread the grain on the surface of a country road so the grain may be threshed by the wheels of passing vehicles. We won’t be doing this!
And then we will bring home our share of the harvest…Mmmmm
Because organic food is grown in well-balanced soil, it makes sense that these healthy plants have a great taste!
SHARE ORGANICS SPONSORS…
FRINGEKIDS FEST
11 AM – 4 PM, SATURDAY AUGUST 28th
In MARKET SQUARE (560 JOHNSON)
Visit our table and make Potato People!
This fun family celebration is one of the Fringe’s best kept secrets. Fringe Kids is a completely free one-day family festival with live entertainment, music, Fringe Faeries, craft activities, face painting, Major Conrad Flapps, the life-sized Cardboard Castle for small artists to paint and an inflatable bouncy bunny! An exciting new addition this year is an appearance by the exquisite giant puppets created by Puente Theatre and theInter-Cultural Association. Families are encouraged to bring new school supplies to donate to the Single Parent Resource Centre. This event is sponsored by the City of Victoria, Market Square and Share Organics. www.victoriafringe.com
Caponata – an Italian feast from the oven!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Mix together:
1 small onion chopped coarsely
1 pepper green or red cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 medium eggplant @3/4 LB in 1/2 inch cubes
1 or 2 medium zucchini in 1/2 inch cubes
2 medium tomatoes in 1 inch cubes
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1 Tsp. Cane sugar
1 tsp. dried oregano (1 Tbsp. fresh)
Bake in shallow uncovered baking dish for 30 to 40 minutes.
When vegetables are tender, stir in:
1/4 cup pitted chopped black olive
1/4 cup chopped green Sicilian olives
1/4 cup drained capers
We are starting to see some early summer apples from the mainland so decided to have a chat with Ian Franey the orchardist at Isabella Orchard. Isabella is a beautiful Orchard on Isabella Point on Salt Spring Island. Ian usually participates in the Salt Spring Island Apple Festival in September and opens the farm for visitors. Ian is known for his fabulous apple juice and his great apple pies! His early season apples from Isabella are two varieties called Discovery and Tydeman.
Discovery are bright red eating apples and have excellent texture and flavour – crisp, juicy and sweet. So juicy, in fact, that the Discovery apple is an excellent juicer. Anything that falls to the ground goes right into Ian’s next apple pressing.
Tydemans are tart, crisp, eating and/or cooking apples that ripen in August. Good in pies and crumbles.
Summer apples (as opposed to Autumn Apples) do not store well as they lose both their crispness and some of their flavor and so should be refrigerated immediately after purchasing. We’re not yet sure when the first delivery will be but it will be worth the wait. We do have a bit more of last year’s apple juice left. Try it!
FOODROOTS CANNING CLASS
Season of plenty is here! The class will be led by Rebecca Jehn, a farmer/chef who sells preserves at the Moss Street Market. Each participant will take home one jar of jam and one jar of salsa made in the class and a set of handouts prepared by Rebecca.
There are 15 places available in the class. Cost is $45.00 (including HST). Depending on the number of registrants, Foodroots will offer a few subsidized places
DATE: Wednesday, August 18th 6:30PM -9:30PM
PLACE: FAIRFIELD GONZALES COMMUNITY CENTRE KITCHEN, 1335 Thurlow (east end of Sir James Douglas School)
TO REGISTER: send your name, email address and phone number to leefuge(at)pacificcoast.net or call 250-385-7974 and leave the requested information.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 9AM on Tuesday, August 17th
Blueberry Lemon Pie
- 2 cups crushed Anna’s Almond Cinnamon Cookies (1 ½ Pkgs) or graham crackers plus 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ¼ cup corn starch (Sub arrowroot powder as corn everything is associated with GMOs. You get the same clear thickening end result)
- ½ cup sugar
- Juice of 4 medium lemons (1/2 cup plus) and add water to 1 cup level
- ½ teaspoonful grated lemon zest
- 2 egg whites at room temperature
- ½ pint whipping cream
- 2 cups blueberries
1. Crush cookies with rolling pin or wine bottle between layers of wax paper.
2. Mix into melted butter and press into a 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 and cool.
3. In a saucepan mix together the cornstarch and sugar and then gradually add the cup of liquid whisking it in until smooth
4. Heat mixture to boiling point and simmer until thick.
5. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest. Cool.
6. Beat the egg whites until stiff.
7. In separate bowl (some beaters) whip the cream until thick.
8. Beat the lemon so it is smooth and fold in the egg and cream. Add blueberries and spread into the pie shell. Decorate with extra blues and lemon peel curls!
Serves 6 to 8.
BC FRUIT BOX IS BACK!
Our $20 Small Fruit Box has been converted to the BC Fruit Box.
***Only as a supplement to another box or part of a $45 a la carte order.***
Once a year we have a crop of fennel bulbs from Sungold Meadows. Farmer Nancy sent us her Orange and Fennel Salad recipe last year and it is divine! Find it in our recipe archive.
Cooking with fennel is a pleasure as it has a fresh, fragrant, anise-like flavor that is enhanced by cooking. When used raw in salads or salsas, it has a refreshing, crisp texture, complementing other raw vegetables and fish.
Whether braised, sautéed, roasted, or grilled, the bulb mellows and softens with cooking. Braising is an effective way of cooking with fennel. Cut the bulbs in quarters, from tip to root, and remove just enough of the core, so that the quarters still hold together. Then melt some butter in a frying pan, add the fennel plus about 150ml chicken or vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper, cover and braise for 20-25 minutes until tender.
In salads, try adding finely chopped, raw fennel to potato salad or coleslaw, to add crunch and a mild aniseed flavor. Sliced fennel can be used in the poaching water when poaching or steaming fish. It can also be added to homemade fish stock. Nutritionally, fennel contains large amounts of vitamin C; one cup containing nearly 20% of your daily vitamin C requirement!
The Centre for Arts, Ecology & Agriculture established at Foxglove Farm to demonstrate and interpret the vital connections between farming, land stewardship, food, the arts, and community well being; to model the economic possibilities for small and medium scale sustainable agricultural projects, and to nurture the human spirit through public programs, classes, and events. Aug programs just posted!
1. Combine and whisk all ingredients except the fennel. Brush on the fish. Salt and pepper lightly.
2. Place the fennel on the grill or in the broiler pan. Put the fish on top.
3. Grill or broil the fish. Do not turn the fish over.
4. While the fish is cooking, slice the fennel very thinly. Arrange on a platter.
5. Drizzle with a bit of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Serve fish on top.
BC FRUIT BOX IS BACK
Our $20 Small Fruit Box has been converted to the BC Fruit Box.
***Only as a supplement to another box or part of a $45 a la carte order.***
Kildara is growing more herbs this year so get ready to experiment with new recipes. Dill goes very well with potatoes, tomatoes, beets and any kind of fish. Try a potato salad with Kildara fingerling potatoes and dill or if you have beets left from last week add dill to your borscht! Coming down the line are tarragon and savoury! Drying excess herbs is easy. Spread out on a wicker basket or tray on top of your refrigerator. (Needs to be a warm, dry place out of the sun)
RASPBERRIES are big and beautiful from Maple Groove Farm in Cowichan! We have had some delivery issues that mean they are only coming early in the week. They are holding quite well and we have a test pint from last week in the cooler so if things are looking good the Thursday routes will have raspberries next week. Thanks again for “Share-ing!”
Wendy at Westwind Farm says HERITAGE TOMATOES are ready for the first delivery in August!! Her speciality garlic is curing and might be ready too!
The Centre for Arts, Ecology & Agriculture was established at Foxglove Farm to demonstrate and interpret the vital connections between farming, land stewardship, food, the arts, and community well being; to model the economic possibilities for small and medium scale sustainable agricultural projects, and to nurture the human spirit through public programs, classes, and events.
The first picks of the season are usually smaller – as a “larger purchaser” we at Share have to wait a bit once you start seeing the product at the markets. When the quantity increases enough then we offer it!
This week is the beginning of our raspberry season. They are big and beautiful from Maple Groove Farm in Cowichan! Next week if we have even larger quantities we will be distributing to all boxes or to the ones who did not receive them this week! Share–ing them… (giggle)
Wendy at Westwind Farm sends a tomato update: “The tomatoes are really coming along nicely now. I’m wondering how many pint tubs/weekly you’d need to get the ball rolling. It’s like that for some crops…they start slowly and build momentum. I’m just loving the tomato greenhouse world, all the pruning and tying up. And that smell!”
Joe at Kingcott Farm brought in the fresh beet bunches today!! He is also growing corn for Share and said the planting went well and the corn sprouted when the rains came in June. It is tasseling now which means three or four weeks to fresh GMO-free corn. Joe is growing naturally according to organic standards. This means the soil is nurtured and the seeds he uses are not genetically modified. Corn is pollinated by wind and so it could be cross pollinated by other corn within an eight mile radius. This is one of many excellent reasons to make our Island GMO free!
The Centre for Arts, Ecology & Agriculture
was established at Foxglove Farm to demonstrate and interpret the vital connections between farming, land stewardship, food, the arts, and community well being; to model the economic possibilities for small and medium scale sustainable agricultural projects, and to nurture the human spirit through public programs, classes, and events.
Saanich Peninsula, Metchosin and Cowichan Valley. Organized by the Southern Vancouver Island Direct Farm Marketing Association
Share Organics will be on site all day at Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse. Come and say hello! http://www.islandfarmfresh.com/touroffarms.htm
Garden Borscht
Sauté in a soup pot until soft:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1 small red onion chopped
Add and continue sautéing for 5 minutes:
4 medium beets chopped
2 large carrots chopped
Add and simmer until tender:
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes (or frozen from last season)
Chopped beet tops (or spinach)
1 to 2 cups stock or water
Fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp. prepared horseradish
Serve topped with sour cream or yogurt
Add fresh Biscuits to make a meal!
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