It will take place at
Madrona Farm on Blenkinsop Rd
October 2, 2011 — noon to 6:00 p.m.
Get there at noon so you don’t miss the local chefs running the farm relay!
Enjoy some fabulous local food while the chefs setup and prepare a meal from the crops they picked in the relay! The Chefs bring a protein of choice and the rest is a surprise! Later in the afternoon these meals will be auctioned off with proceeds to the TLC. Our local chefs are great guys with generous spirits. Click here to see more about the chefs and their local restaurants:
It was exciting to see all the folks supporting our farmers and the idea of a covered, year-round Downtown Market at the Eat Here Now event this past Sunday. The variety and amount of produce was amazing!! Peppers, eggplants and tomatoes of every colour and size caught my eye. Peas, beans and an abundance of green. A good year for potatoes – I counted 8 different varieties. Thanks to all who organized this all volunteer run event!!
To see some highlights and to find out more information about the Victoria Downtown Public Market Society please go to their website, victoriapublicmarket.com!
Fun with the Bike Cart
Colby our bike delivery guy has an odometer on his bike now. He clocked 70km last week! On top of all those kilometres it was an extra heavy week due to the watermelon in many of the bins. 7 of our routes, every week, are delivered by bicycle. Way to go Colby!
I rode the bike and cart down to the Eat Here Now Festival on Sunday. It was nearly empty (though still excess weight) and downhill for the most part… and I made it! Way to go Susan! And Reggie rode the bike cart back! Way to go Reggie!
Saanich farmers, both organic and conventional, are tallying up this season’s crop losses due to deer with the hope of encouraging some deer management practices.
Report from Farmer, Robyn Tunnicliffe:
There was a meeting of local farmers on the peninsula last week to talk about the burgeoning deer population. We have been really struggling again this year at Northbrook farm after our $10,000 fence and countless hours of fence maintenance continues to fail, and deer have free access to our crops.
It was an eye opener for me to hear about all the devastating damage that is happening to conventional farmers, and how farming as they have always done is fast becoming no longer possible. Unfortunately, most of them farm on very large leased fields with only 6 months notice if their lease will be terminated, so investing 50-100k in fencing is not an option. They can’t shoot deer on many of their parcels because there is suburban housing, walking trails or roadways very nearby. They can’t use bangers because they scare nearby horses and the horse community is a formidable opponent. There is a scarcity of bow hunters and the farmers are exasperated.
It seems no sector is exempt. A grain grower talked about losing 25% of his winter production last year because a herd of deer were grazing in his field. Berry bushes are near fatally pruned, and even the Christmas tree farm has heavy losses from deer nibbling growing tips and breaking branches from grooming.
I spoke to a wildlife biologist this week, Christian Engelstoft, and he explained how deer populations will mushroom in size in rural areas and become more aggressive and more determined as they compete for resources. He was convinced that they would become a serious threat to farmer livelihood and food security. He thinks that a cull is necessary.
Food Facts – Spending on Nutrition and Healthcare
From Harry Burton of AppleLuscious Orchard on Salt Spring in Island Tides:
“In 1960, food spending was 17.5% of income and spending on health care was 5.2%. Now it has reversed to 9.9% on food (reduction of 43%) and 16% on health care (increase of 208%). An extra dollar spent on quality food, results in a far greater saving on future health care costs. Why and how have we been brainwashed to buy CHEAP FOODS?”
“Nutrient content of foods have significantly declined since 1950, probably due to soil fertility depletion and also to the fact that modern varieties focus on maximizing yield rather than maximizing nutrition, or even taste. Have you eaten a tasty tomato lately?”
4 cups peaches, skinned and sliced
(To remove skins from peaches place in bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for a few minutes and then skins just slip off)
1 lemon, zest and juice
4 Tbsp Amaretto or 1 tsp almond extract
Arrange peach slices in an 8×8 cake pan.
Crumble 30 amaretti cookies (small Italian almond cookies) by placing between sheets of wax paper and roll with a rolling pin.
In a bowl mix cookie crumbs with:
1 cup sliced almond
1/4 cup melted butter
Mix together with a fork. Sprinkle topping over peaches.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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.
Good weather = good strawberries… but not good enough to produce a pint for every Share Organics Box. Single Boxes will get the lovely mini watermelons this week and local strawberries next week.
Garlic Tops or Scapes are in the box. These flowering tops of the garlic need to be cut off to allow the energy to go down into the root and make great big garlic bulbs. They can be added scapes to a sauté for that garlic flavor until we get some fresh garlic in 2 weeks. Cured storage garlic will not appear until September.
Chelsey packing a bin with a pint of Carmenia’s Strawberries
Sad News: For many years we have purchased our chicken products from Cowichan Bay Farm. Unfortunately they are no longer raising chickens. Big thanks to the farmers and handlers for their hard work. Special thanks to Farmer, Lyle Young, for taking up the challenge and starting a poultry processing plant in the Cowichan Valley, Island Farmhouse Poultry. Other small growers on the Island can still offer whole birds because we have these processing facilities. We will offer these Island birds when available (likely July 20th).
Good News:We are happy to report we have connected with Thomas Reid Farm in Aldergrove and can offer BC Certified Organic Chicken Sausage, Chicken Breast, Bone-in and 4 pack chicken thighs. We hope to have stock on hand next week. Have a look at the Coming Soon options on our website under Free Range Poultry or Thomas Reid Farms. We currently have Thomas Reid whole chicken in stock.
Your Local Food Dollars Do Make a Difference…
“If 10,000 Toronto families shifted $10 of their weekly food purchases to local for a year, it would equate to taking 908 cars off the road for a year; on a per-family basis, carbon savings are equivalent to not driving a car for a month.
In Halifax, the same 10,000 families shifting would be equivalent to moving 487 cars off the road for a year; per-family, its equivalent to parking the car for two weeks.
In economic terms, if 10,000 families in a province shift $10 per week to local, that means $5.2-million would shift away from imports and directly into local economies.”
- Globe and Mail Saturday July 2, 2011
Rising Prices and Food Security
CRD Roundtable on Food and Agricultural Initiatives says,
“food security exists when all people at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.”
Rising food prices are now a fact of life and organic and permaculture practices that enhance the soil are the future of food. We are challenged to make good food economically available to all and yet continue to be a sustainable business. We work hard on education and donate our perishables to a community kitchen. Perishables are fresh veggies and fruit that don’t keep well week to week… think fresh lettuce, tomatoes, summer fruit etc.
We have decided to give you the opportunity to help provide good food for all. If you would like to donate organic veggies and fruit to the Victoria Transition House or the Salvation Army we will be creating a new $30 For Donation Box that can be sent on your behalf to either charity. Keep an eye out on the website!
Our Box Price goes up so we can…
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 address some recent feedback: the Family Box is too small and smaller box people (ex. Singles box) sometimes have trouble getting through an entire order.
Beginning July 12th new prices will be:
Family Box $45
Orchard Box $38
Singles Box $32
Local Box $38
Watermelon and Feta Salad
Declared to be the most refreshing summer salad ever!!
Gently mix in a salad bowl:
4 to 5 cups diced seedless watermelon
2 Tbsp chopped mint
Sprinkle over top:
1 cup finely crumbled goat feta
Just before serving drizzle with:
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Thanks to Barb at Goat’s Pride Dairy for this recipe!
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!
We are having an in-between season for fruit due to the late spring. Local Strawberries are nearly here (next week!) and apples are getting boring. Cherries, peaches, nectarines are available from California but it’s too close to our own season so we chose not to offer them. The BC cherries and peaches will be all the more delicious for the wait! When I saw the Fair Trade pineapples I thought, “YES!”
Costa Rican Farmer associated with ASOPROAGROIN – an organisation of small and medium sized Costa Rican producers
This Fair Trade model (Interrupcion Fair Trade) “engages producers committed to improving the long-term social, economic and environmental sustainability of their producing community” and more. They represent 500 farming families in Costa Rica.
“The Rural Microfinance Program provides financial services to associated small & medium pineapple farmers. There is also a training program the provides associated farmers regarding sustainable farming practices, risks prevention, administration & marketing of their crops and it is a general guide for good agricultural practices, fair trade & organic certification standards.” www.interrupcionfairtrade.com/fair-trade.php
Strawberry Update
The first of the local strawberries are being picked Tuesday morning for most of our dedicated Local Only box buyers. With a bit of sunshine we hope to see enough for everyone next week. We have two farm suppliers this year. Sungold Meadows in Cobble Hill has been supplying us with gorgeous berries for many years. Carmenia Farm will be bringing berries across Finlayson Arm from Mill Bay this year. With a good crop yield we hope to supply all of you who have pre-ordered strawberry flats. This delicate crop needs to be eaten immediately!
Chef Heidi Fink has a great blog post on how to pick the perfect strawberry.
Quinoa Grown Here?!
Our local seed hero Dan Jason from Saltspring Seeds gives us the scoop:
“For most southern Canadian and northern U.S. sites, the best time to plant quinoa is late April to late May. When soil temperatures are around 60°F (15°C) seedlings emerge within three to four days.”
Simmer 1/2 cup quinoa in 1 cup boiling water for 25 mins. Let Cool.
Transfer to a bowl and toss with:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
1 stem chopped garlic greens or shallots
1 medium tomato cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 small seedless cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoons lemon or apple cider vinegar
Salt and black pepper to taste
Serves 2. Get creative and add toasted walnuts, crumbled feta, and/or sweet peppers!
Minted New Potatoes
1/2 LB new potatoes, scrubbed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Few sprigs of mint
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Bring a pan of water to the boil. Add the potatoes to the pan with a few sprigs of mint.
Boil for 12-15 minutes until the potatoes feel just tender when pierced with a skewer.
Chop the leaves of the rest of the mint and basil sprigs. When the potatoes are cooked, drain them well and tip into a bowl. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and the chopped herbs. Serve warm.
Folks who love good eggs are requesting more information about our local farms. Farmer, Brian Hughes, has obliged us with the following information and stories…
Organic practices seek to mimic what happens in a natural flock so roosters are present on the farm. While the boys do not produce eggs themselves they are useful. I used to think that the gals laid more when the cock was on the block but not so. They play the traditional role of protector.
Out at Kildara Farm one morning a cacophony of crowing woke James (another farmer at Kildara Farm). A bald eagle was circling the chicken yard and all three Kildara roosters were sounding the alarm. All the hens were saved except one little gal that was too late entering the coop. Roosters also exhibit very gentlemanly behaviour searching out good places for worms and letting the hens eat first.
Kildara Chickens
Recently the District of North Saanich received a complaint that Ricardo the Rooster was making too much noise. After much debate in the Agricultural Advisory Committee, a bylaw was proposed that validates the importance of having roosters. It has been established that properties over 1.5 acres could legally have a rooster and its okay that they make noise! We have Ricardo the Rooster to thank for this. He is not just another pretty face.
Our farms would need special equipment, etc. to produce their own chicks or point-of-lay hens. Chicks are currently sourced conventionally, (not de-beaked) and raising them organically for the required time period before the eggs are labelled certified organic.
Special Equipment at Kildara Farm
Last Straw Campaign
Genetically modified (GM) alfalfa is only one step away from approval. For Canadian Organic Growers and its members, GM alfalfa is the last straw. In March, they signed on to a legal action against Monsanto.
Roundup Ready Alfalfa can spell disaster for organic farmers. Alfalfa has a number of properties that make it indispensible for organic crops and livestock production. The onus is on the farmer to avoid genetic contamination. It is nearly impossible to prevent cross contamination. Alfalfa is insect pollinated and the little lovelies can travel 1500 meters contaminating feral roadside crops and organic farms. The bee doesn’t discern the difference between GM alfalfa and non-GM. Organic milk and butter could disappear from grocery shelves. Financial support is needed for the legal challenge! For more information and to donate go to www.cog.ca
The cauliflower from Madrona is soooo lovely!! Below is a new recipe for Curried Cauliflower! (…inspired by my mother’s day present, “Vij’s at Home, Relax, Honey!” cookbook). There is a curried chickpea salad on page 122 that I liked because it had cucumber in it and we have gads of local cucumber! I love cauliflower curry and so I added cauliflower in lieu of some of the chickpeas. Oh yes, and subbed crushed chilli for the jalapeno. I did not have cilantro on hand so left that out but it is always better with cilantro to my mind! Feel free to fiddle with the recipe in your own way.
Farmer Dave was telling us that he seeded the cauliflower last July and planted it out in the field by August and under-sowed the crop with peas. The peas help prevent weed growth and also break down with the first hard frost while supplying nitrogen to the soil. He will plant squash in this same field later and under sow with clover – another crop that adds nutrients to the soil.
Dave has also been watching the bees carefully this season. About 70% of the local bees are ground-nesters and he has seen them in the cauliflower fields. Some of these bees are endangered so Dave is careful to work around them as much as possible.
Suntrio Farm is sending us the first of the organic cherry tomatoes… and as you already know, cucumbers are in full swing!!
Susan posing with our new spring celebrity, Madrona’s SeaPearl Cauliflower
What to Make from This Week’s Box
Curried Cauliflower Salad with Cucumber
Sauteed Endive, Garlic Greens and Feta over Pasta
Roasted Beets
Green Salad and Cherry Tomatoes
Rhubarb OR Apple Cobbler
Vote on Cosmetic Pesticides
BC’s Agricultural Minister, Don McRae, has posted a pesticide poll on his website, asking whether cosmetic pesticide legislation is the right move. Please vote, and pass on as you deem appropriate! Thanks, Mike, for passing this on to us.
After 40 days of rain it is very muddy out in the fields! Brian and his crew out at Kildara Farms were able to plant Warba potatoes this past weekend and they hope to do some more planting on this sunny Monday. Plant growth is determined not just by the amount of sunlight but by the length of day as well. As we head towards summer the plant growth speeds up with more daylight and with warmer soil. It has been a late start to the season and we’re all hoping to catch up, plant as much as we can and not be too far behind. Dave at Madrona Farm tells us the over-wintering cauliflowers are finally starting to head.
Looking to the Future, Long Term Crops
Madrona, as many of you know, is part of The Land Conservancy’s agricultural holdings. Dave and Natalie Chambers are the long term farmers on the property and with this assurance are now planting long term crops like fruit trees and asparagus. This past weekend I spoke with Richard LeBlanc from Woodwynn Farms who is creating the Homefulness Project. They have been planting many fruit trees – apple, plum and pear and they expect to have a much larger market garden under production this year.
To volunteer and get out on the farm: woodwynnfarms.org
All this bodes very well for long term food security on the Island. At Share Organics we have been contracting local farmers to grow for us and to extend the seasons. Our contracts give the farmers an assured sale for their crops at a respectable price. They can then spend more time growing and we do the marketing for them! Share your experiences with your friends as we plan to grow and offer more this coming season.
What to Make from This Week’s Box
Caesar Salad
Apple Cranberry Cobbler
Lasagna with Braising Greens
Zucchini Potato Curry
Cucumber Raita
Bananas Marrakech
Red Lentil Soup
Bananas Marrakech
Process together until smooth:
1 cup chopped dates
juice and grated rind of one orange
Serve over a sliced banana and top with whipped cream.
Red Lentil Soup
Sauté in a soup pot until soft:
1/2 onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Add the following and sauté for 5 minutes:
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. fresh Rosemary chopped
1 Bay leaf
1 medium Yam diced small
some cayenne pepper diced
Fresh grated black pepper
Add the following and simmer for 40 minutes:
6 cups water
1 Tbsp. Miso (or vegetable stock)
250g Lentils (or 1 1/4 cups)
Just before serving add:
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
Some grated lemon rind!
If you would like to view or add to your order please click here!
The Slow Food movement talks about the importance and conviviality of sitting down and eating together, as a family and as a community!
My mother would agree. She felt it was very important that we all sit down once a day and share a meal. As a mom in the fifties it was perhaps easier to do but by the nineteen seventies she was a working widowed Mom and still held fast to this rule.
From my childhood I remember ordinary dinners as well as larger family celebrations where we all shared what was happening in our day or life. It was a time to connect with each other and to laugh together. I can remember as a young teen sitting around after supper over pots of tea discussing everything from fashion to politics.
This family tradition was something I continued with my own children – except during baseball season when we all had to be at a different field by 5:30! It’s hard to keep it going BUT it is so valuable. It provides a regular time to gather and a forum for sharing in an amicable setting.
Cooking together or learning to cook together can be another important time to share. For the larger community this is a time honoured way to get together from medieval feast days to church suppers to community and school potlucks today.
Last night the Share Organics staff gathered for a potluck to look at our company’s vision statement. Three key values emerged:
supporting local farmers
supporting sustainable practices (walking the sustainable-talk!)
supporting food security in our greater community
We did not manage to create the final vision statement but we did a lot of sharing and ate very, very well!
Share Organics Staff, January 2011
What to Make from This Week’s LOCAL ONLY Box
Scalloped Potatoes
Blueberry Pie
Portobello Mushroom Burgers
Hot Beans and Braising Mix over Rice
Cucumber Curry Wrap with Salad Mix
“HOT” Beans and Greens
Cook over low heat until tender:
1 cup pinto or navy beans
1 bay leaf
Sauté:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
2 cups cooked beans
1 dried hot red pepper minced
Add and steam for 5-10 minutes until tender:
1 bag braising greens, chard or spinach chopped
black pepper
Cayenne to taste
Serve over rice for a quick supper.
Asparagus Pasta Salad
Cook in boiling water for 8 minutes:
2 cups Rotini (or other small pasta)
In steamer on top, steam until tender:
1/2 LB Asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
Run both under cold water to stop the cooking.
Dice a combination of vegetables:
Tomatoes, Cucumber, Carrots
(Use whatever is in your fridge but also think about colour combinations!)
“[T]he organic system of food production has legal definitions, a handbook of rules, permitted and prohibited substances, acceptable practices, an inspection process, and labels to guide the consumers. Local has none of these guidelines, rules, inspections or protections. It has the cachet of popularity without any guarantee of safety or sustainability.
“Some chemical farmers, and even poultry, egg, pork, dairy, or beef operators feeding their animals genetically modified (GMO) grains, claim that local is better than organic, because it stimulates the local economy and reduces the distance (food miles) that food travels between the farm or feedlot and your table. But does so-called local farming, utilizing toxic pesticides, GMO seeds and feed, chemical fertilizers, and animal drugs mean that the food is safe and sustainable? Obviously not. We believe that there shouldn’t have to be a choice between local and safe organic; but rather that consumers should look for food that is not only local or regionally produced, but food that is also organic and therefore safe and sustainable. Local and chemical, or local using GMO seeds and feed, is nothing more than greenwashing. Organic and local is the new gold standard!”
I know that there is no broccoli in this week’s box but I am intrigued with the idea of doing this with kale and perhaps a bit of sorrel? It’s basically making a pesto out of broccoli and then tossing it with more broccoli. Here’s the recipe in it’s unadulterated version:
Make 3 cups cooked quinoa and set aside.
Boil for one minute in 3/4 cup water:
5 cups broccoli stems and florets, chopped
Run barely-cooked broccoli under cold water. Set aside.
Make broccoli pesto by pureeing:
2 cups cooked broccoli
3 garlic cloves
1/3 cup almonds
2 pinches salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cream or milk alternative
Combine:
1/2 the pesto
quinoa
rest of the cooked broccoli
Top with:
Sliced almonds
Cubed avocado
Some sprouts or anything else you fancy!
I would suggest only cooking the kale and using raw sorrel in the pesto portion of the recipe – it has its own citrus-y succulent bitter flavour. Perhaps less lemon needed? If anyone experiments with this let us know how it goes!
Dave’s Sorrel and Halibut Recipe
Thanks to Dave of Madrona Farm for his beginning-of-Spring crops and this recipe! After delivering this week’s harvest of parsnips, sorrel, and braising greens he passed along this recipe. Normally I might be frightened seeing Dave trembling slightly, smacking his lips and rolling his eyes… but I realized he was only in ecstacy remembering how this dish tastes!
Poach a halibut filet over a bed of sorrel and chopped leeks, onions, or garlic, splashed in white wine.
Once cooked, remove the fish and reduce the sorrel/leek remains on a stovetop. Once the booziness of the wine is gone add cream. Puree the whole she-bang and drizzle over the filet.
Dave also suggests serving this with something that will soak up the sauce pooling on the plate. He suggests giant croutons or baguette. Otherwise you’ll be tempted to lick your plate… which is fine by us!
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…….”
Root crops are still being harvested and farmers are looking forward to spring crops that were planted last fall and are under hoop houses or greenhouses. We have hints of upcoming spring carrots and early bunch beets which are slowly growing.
Sun Trio Farms in Saanich is growing organically in hot houses. In February they will be planting out organic starts for tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Dennis and Frank will also start their own transplants for the second planting. A seed salesman was saying the “Sungold cherry tomato” was not that great tasting but when he tried the same variety grown organically he was amazed at the burst of flavour! Sun Trio uses electric heat pumps and gas boilers to heat the hot houses. New technology in Japan has heat pumps running on carbon dioxide and from every dollar of electricity comes 8 times the heat. They also run at lower temperatures and are more efficient! Not available in Canada yet.
Frank of SunTrio Farm
Ginger Squash Bake
Cut in half:
1 seeded squash
Bake face down on a lightly buttered pan until nearly done. This depends on the size of the squash but usually about 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour.
You’re probably eager to find and eat all the delicious, nutritious, reasonably priced local food you can get your hands on. But who’s going to grow it? Who is going to gather it and get it to your local store shelves? After all, local food isn’t sustainable if local producers can’t get by. The average Canadian income in this industry is $8,000 per year (a number that has decreased steadily since the 1950s).
Canadian farmers are getting older (the average age of a farmer is 52 years old) and fewer of their children are there to replace them. There is less land on which to grow healthy food (since the 1970s, Canada has lost more than 14,000 square kilometres of its most fertile soil to urban development). Canadian farmers are losing out in a global market, where cheaper labour costs and fluctuating exchange rates make it harder to stay competitive. (The Okanagan Valley once grew and packed about 10 million boxes of apples and pears every year — now that number has dropped to 2.5 million.)
Read more in the “Growing the Local Bounty” series here:
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