We are very excited about offering these new teas! You’ll see them listed on the website in a few days. We are starting with a few varieties, in tins. Take a look at the Teafarm website for the full line and let us know what you’d like to try. We plan to offer the teas in a bag as refills – making the most of the beautiful and functional tins!
Locally grown and processed, organic and innovative! Margit and Victor are hopeful they can grow their own tea plants and produce a limited harvest of green and black teas from the Cowichan Valley. We want to support this!
Teafarm is a small organic farm in the fertile Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, BC
Margit and Victor grow a variety of plants and flowers that they blend with organic green, black, white, red, oolong and pu-erh teas from select tea estates around the world.
They have created over 20 original recipe hand-crafted teas and herbal infusions. A wide variety of non-blended estate grown teas are also available through Teafarm.
No flavourings or synthetic essences are used in Teafarm blends. When you drink something with vanilla, it’s vanilla bean and it’s organic. The teas that are used in the blends are all Certified Organic at their source.
In May of 2010 two terraces of tea – Camellia sinensis – were planted on the farm. So far, the young tea plants have made it through two winters and are doing very well. Victor and Margit are experimenting with growing tea… the farm is not yet producing tea. They are confident that within the next few years Teafarm will be offering a limited harvest of 100% local Cowichan tea.
Permaculture Design Certificate
Four Seasons, Part Time, Permaculture Design Course in Victoria, BC
When: Starts with a 2 day introductory weekend on April 21-22nd (Earth Day!), 2012 and continues one Sunday per month until March 2013.
Where: Various Locations in Greater Victoria
Tuition: $960 + HST ($250 deposit to secure a spot)
Yes, these are stinging nettles – sting-y but terribly good for you! Use gloves or tongs to handle raw nettles. Once immersed in hot water, blanched or dried, the sting is gone. Nettle Tea is an excellent source of minerals and calcium. Dry for use next winter!
Pour cold water or stock to cover by 1 inch. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes soft.
Add:
1/4 LB young nettles
Freshly ground pepper
Cook for five more minutes, until nettle leaves are soft and wilted. Purée with an immersion blender. Season to taste.
Halibut over Sorrel Greens
Thanks to Dave of Madrona Farm for his beginning-of-Spring crops and this recipe!
Fresh Sorrel
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!
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Chef Rob Feenie in the Globe and Mail this weekend shared a pasta recipe. He added fresh arugula when he tossed the tomato based sauce and the pasta al dente. Try it with your own pasta this week! I have also added arugula just before serving to cheese based Pasta Carbonera!
Farmer Dave is harvesting beautiful Brussels’ Sprouts on the stem every week and we will continue to offer them in our different box types. You can customize or add them any week you choose. I am not a huge fan of this veg but as I attempt to eat in season have been trying out different recipes. Last night’s supper featuring the Brussels’ sprouts was a definite success. Check out the blog for some pictures. For a vegetarian version I would replace the lamb sausage with 2 cups cooked brown lentils. Pulses are an export crop for Canada. We grow a lot but send most to India because we do not use this great source of protein!
Lamb OR Lentil Greek Stew
In a large skillet sauté until soft:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 large garlic minced
2 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 to 2 cups Brussels Sprouts (halve the larger ones)
3 whole frozen tomatoes OR 1 can tomatoes
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1/4 cup red wine
4 lamb sausages
1/2 cup water
Add:
In a separate skillet steam:
Simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve topped with diced feta cheese.
Let cook for 15 minutes and then brown.
Slice sausage into rounds and add to sauté.
Greek Potatoes
If doing the veggie option serve this dish with Quinoa or for the lamb dish try this potato recipe
Slice potatoes into rounds.
Oil baking sheet with olive oil.
Place potatoes on the sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper and lemon juice!
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes then turn potatoes over and sprinkle the other side as above.
Bake for another 15 and serve!
10 Ways to Eliminate Food Waste over the Holidays
Did you know the December holiday season results in spectacular amounts of food waste! Worldwatch Institute has some ideas on reducing this amount. Here are the key words. For detail check out their site http://www.worldwatch.org/node/9280
Before the meal:
Plan your menu and exactly how much food you’ll need.
1. Be realistic
2. Plan ahead
During the meal:
Control the amount on your plate to reduce the amount in the garbage.
3. Go small
4. Encourage self-serve
After the meal:
Make the most out of leftovers.
5. Store leftovers safely
6. Compost food scraps
7. Create new meals
8. Donate excess
9. Support food-recovery programs
Throughout the holiday season:
Consider what you’re giving.
10. Give gifts with thought
Organic Holiday Turkeys available for Pre-Order
Terra Nossa is now taking pre-orders for their organic turkeys. They will be freshly processed December 22nd and available fresh for pick up in Victoria on the 23rd.
This week’s box was inspired by the offer of cilantro from Saanich Organics. Cilantro is indispensible in many Thai, Indian and Mexican recipes! The Boxes also have a Mexican avocado and a jalapeno and lime from California. How about a Cucumber Raita?
Daikon!
Daikon is another local root veggie in this week’s Local Only Box. The mild radish flavor warms the body (and soul!) on a windy day. Thanks to Yoshiko and the crew at Umi Nami Farm in Metchosin. Bunch carrots are naturally grown by Isabelle on Wyndlow Farm in Ladysmith.
Watermelon Radish is another unique vegetable. It looks like watermelon – red centre and a green “rind!” Traditionally they are made into a Japanese style pickle.
Slice and cover with 1/4 cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar, water, salt and 1 tsp cane sugar. Let sit for a few hours. Winter Radish can also be grated onto salad greens to add a little spice. Try it with a cilantro vinaigrette
Watermelon Radish
Carrot Daikon Salad
Mix together:
1 1/2 cup grated carrots
1 1/2 cup grated daikon
4 minced scallions
For dressing, mix together:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. Tamari
1 tsp. mirin or honey
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
Dash of cayenne
Toss with vegetables and serve on a bed of lettuce. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
From Box to Table – the final few veggies
I finished off my Local Box last week with a red cabbage salad garnished with grated watermelon radish and parsley. I also made a Basil Parsley pesto. Pesto is great on steamed mixed vegetables!
Below is a recipe to help use up that spunky jalapeno…
Black Bean and Corn Salad
Cook dried black beans for 1 1/2 hours in large pot with 8 cups water. (Freeze leftover beans in 2-cup batches for easy use later.)
Combine the following:
2 cups cooked black beans
1 green pepper, diced
1/3 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 hot pepper, diced
1 1/2 cup kernel corn
Whisk the dressing together and pour over salad:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 clove minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
If you would like to view or add to your order please click here!
Stephane, baker and owner of the Moulin Vert Bakery on Saturna Island, hasn’t been able to find a steady source organic peanuts from North America.
We appreciate the choice to wait and seek for a new peanut source rather than look further away. The peanut butter (and perhaps the PB cookies!) will be that much more celebrated when it returns.
Stephane offers other cookie varieties that I wish would come hang out with me in the office instead of being sent away in the bins. My favourite, and the most filling cookie, are the loons. Perfect for the afternoon energy slump… or the morning slump… or all slumps in-between.
Many urban growers now have to fence gardens to prevent deer from eating the crops. Deer are jumping the seven foot fences out at Kildara Farms and while the dogs are effective they do not work round the clock. This past Sunday deer ate many of the snap peas out in the fields. Not good for the farmers and the farm. I take it personally as well because it means I don’t get to send any peas this week and some of our boxes will have subs from further away!
Deer ate all my tulips this year – I thought I had planted enough to share with them. They have yet to jump the 5 foot fence around my berry patch. Some areas of Saanich have had some relief from deer trouble due to the appearance of a cougar. Not sure that is a good solution to urban deer. Humans are another predator. Check out CBC Radio for The Urban Hunter, a documentary about the rise of the locavore hunter in our urban centres. www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/
More Local Farm Crop News!
Like many of our other crops apples will be two weeks late. Ian Franey reported from under his umbrella in Isabella Orchard on Salt Spring Island that pollination was generally good and he is expecting some Transparent apples soon. Transparents are the first summer apples and make an excellent soft sauce apple. Discovery and Tydemans are the first of the summer eating apples and will follow a few weeks later.
We have taken apples completely off our list as the BC storage crop is done. Apples you see in the stores today are most likely from New Zealand or China. Very far away… Our own apples will taste all the better for a few weeks wait.
We should be seeing the first of the apricots next week and TAH DAH!BC Cherries are here!!!
We are working hard to source some raspberries and though the bushes are full the weather makes it so they will not keep. It is pick-and-eat or pick-and-freeze-immediately in the home gardens. The weather is supposed to clear up a little so we never (completely) give up hope.
Strawberries also will not keep well when they have been exposed to the rain. Rinse and slice them up into a bowl with a tablespoon of sugar and they will be deliciously preserved for a few days.
We do have wacks of local greens. Try simply sautéing then with fresh uncured garlic bulbs! (which do not keep long so eat ‘em up!)
If you’ve been following the local garlic plan to avoid the overseas garlic we’ve gone from garlic greens to scapes and now on to a fresh whole clove!
Hello, Goodbye!
Welcome to new staff member, Lisa, and so sad to see Page leave us for new adventures. Ashley is also leaving us to return to her Montana roots and so we are looking for some more backup!
Send us a resume if you love veggies, need work and are available Tuesday through Thursday.
Mushroom Stroganoff
Sauté until translucent:
1 medium red onion
1 clove garlic
Add and sauté until soft:
1/3 Lb oyster mushrooms
Add:
1/2 tsp. dried basil or 1 Tbsp. fresh
1/2 cup shelled peas (fresh in season, snow peas work too)
I caught just one image of our dear Chelsey proudly displaying the HUMONGOUS and beautiful lettuce from Saanich Organics last week. I couldn’t get it home on my bicycle without breaking out the 2nd pannier!
Then I played with “Paint” a bit to introduce the back story of the above image…
We hope your first few days of Summer have been as bountiful and luscious as ours has been!
Colby, the bike delivery superstar, is at the Selkirk Trestle TODAY for the final Bike to Work Week BBQ celebration! To find out where and when take this link and scroll down past the posters to the Map & Schedule of Daily Events.
Ask him what it’s like to deliver 40% of our home and work deliveries all year long… in all kinds of weather… He is still smiling in a downpour! (I’ve seen it!) Then ask him for a limited edition bicycle “bumper sticker”
This week we are graced with rhubarb from Shincliffe Farm, a 3rd generation farm, certified organic. This is the first time we’ve had a crop from Joan Wilkinson and I hope she found the experience positive!
Shincliffe is primarily a dairy farm in Mill Bay and are partners with the Land Conservancy of BC. The milk from their farm makes it’s way into Natural Pastures Cheese. They also function as a cow nursery – raising baby cows to become adult milking cows.
The best part of this story is how Susan and Joan connected. Susan put a call out for island rhubarb through IOPA instead of automatically sourcing off-island. Brilliant! (IOPA is non-profit association of organic growers on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands)
Because of the existence of our Local Box we were able to find a home for the relatively small crop of rhubarb that Joan had to offer! I hope more relationships like this begin to manifest.
The whole reason for this post is to blab and crow about our next exciting effort towards a Food-Secure Vancouver Island! I’m so proud.
In the Saturday Globe and Mail Ian Brown wrote an article for Politics of the Plate that raises a few interesting points. The article is called
“Foodies: Are food crazies getting their just desserts?”
The fact that our best and healthiest food is expensive has as much to do with subsidies as with idealism.” He quotes Michael Pollan, “a great many social movements in this country have begun with elites, with people that have had the time and resources to devote to them. You go back to abolishion, womens sufferage, the environment.”
Ian continues “at least four recent studies – from the British government, the United Nations, the Univeristy of Michigan and Worldwatch – hint that small scale, sustainable farming methods can double the current food production.”
This week we are saying goodbye to a customer of 10 years who is moving out of our delivery area and beginning a large garden. Food security begins at home and those of us who have the land and the inclination should turn the grass into fields of vegetables, orchards of fruit and nut trees! In addition we need to keep supporting small scale agriculture and encourage the farmers to continue growing food.
In case of a major tsunami and earthquake we will be very isolated here on our island. At Share Organics the process of building local food security has been a long term goal. Over the years we have had much success with our local offerings! While it may seem small in the big picture, it is progress. Last year two local items were offered in nearly every box, every week, all year. The previous year we were only able to offer just one local item. This winter season we offered three local products! Hurray!
Better and better…
Just recently we contracted a long time organic farmer to growing green onions and daikon for next winter! This might mean even more local produce through the “lean times.” Thanks to all our long time customers – it’s you who make it possible.
What to make from this week’s box
Thai Garlic Soup with Snap Peas
Blueberry Muffins
Kiwi Flan
Carrot Quiche
Black Eyed Peas and Collards
Lettuce Wrap with Sprouts, Grated Carrots and Cheese
Toss with 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 big pinches of salt. Roast on a baking sheet at 375 until golden and tender (about 40 to 60 mins).
Combine dressing ingredients:
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 small shallot, minced (or a bit of onion)
2 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp heavy cream (optional!)
Taste and adjust dressing ingredients if needed.
Toss roasted veggies in dressing and serve on a bed of wild rice if you like (toss some dressing with the rice).
Great tip for Wild Rice:
It takes a while a cook so make a big ol’ pot, drain well, and freeze in portion bags for whipping up salads like this one (or soups or side dishes)!
If you would like to view or add to your order please click here!
“…Cucumber plants are 2-3 feet tall – about 3-4 weeks away from first harvest. Tomatoes will be a couple of weeks after the cukes and peppers after that. Basil is ready to be planted out in main green house.
Going through plans for new addition to main greenhouse of approx 65,000 square feet. Adding on to existing sprout rooms. Garlic is the only thing growing in the field. Salad’s going into the small greenhouses. That’s it from the farm. Have a wonderful day!”
Conservatives Block Vote on Moratorium on GM Alfalfa: Motion stalled in Agriculture Committee
Friday March 11, 2011. Ottawa
Yesterday in Ottawa, Conservative members of the House of Commons Agriculture Committee stalled a vote on a motion to place a moratorium on the approval of genetically modified (GM) alfalfa. The motion was supported by members from the three other parties and would therefore have been approved by the Committee to go to the House of Commons for a vote, if the vote had not been delayed.
1. Pierce the eyes of a fresh coconut, drain the liquid inside (drink the coconut water or add to blender contents later).
2. Cover the coconut in a towel and crack it with a hammer so that the shell breaks into several pieces.
3. Remove all the coconut meat from the shell, peel off the brown skin and cut the meat into small cubes.
4. Place the meat in a blender, add hot water to just cover all of the meat and blend until finely chopped.
5. Place a sieve covered with cheese cloth over a bowl and pour the coconut meat and water into the sieve squeezing handfuls of the coconut meat to extract as much liquid as possible into the bowl.
Discard meat, refridgerate milk — use within 1 or 2 days!
We have some lovely salad greens from Kildara Farms this week. They survived the cold nicely. The blanket of snow on top of the hoop house kept them warm! Sprouts in the box are from SunTrio Farm. Their organic greenhouses out in Central Saanich are gearing up for cucumbers and pepper production, followed by tomatoes. Dennis is reluctant to say when we can expect a crop because the harvest will be small at first.
We received the last of the storage beets from Kingcott Farm in Ladysmith. Joe says he has planted some beets in the greenhouse and they are 46 inches high already. “More sun, please!” and then we’ll have some local greens from baby bunch beets soon!
March 2 at 7 p.m. at 1415 Broad St., but doors open at 5:30 p.m.
A documentary reflecting voices from six continents calling for systemic economic change. Described by David Suzuki as “a powerful film that cuts deeply to the heart of the global crisis,”
Roll leaves up like a cigar and slice thinly (aka chiffonade!). Cut stalks into 2-inch lengths and steam for 5 minutes. Drain.
Heat 2 Tbsp Butter in a skillet
Add the chard leaves and cook covered for a few minutes to shrink them. Layer in a baking pan with the stalks and more butter in between.
Beat together in a small bowl:
3 garlic cloves crushed
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup cream, milk or alternative milk
Salt and pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
Pour over chard and cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until set.
If you would like to view or add to your order please click here!
March is the tough month to eat out of the garden and find local produce for our boxes! Greens are still sprouting very slowly and root veggies are running out! We will have fabulous local roots from our Island for the next few weeks: Garlic, Sunchokes, Rutabaga, Beets, and Parsnips! Our local frozen Blueberries are still in stock. And we have made plans with growers for more mushrooms and sprouts.
Upcoming crops for March are overwintering cauliflower, garlic greens, nettles, and flowering braising mix. Luckily we have products from our mainland farmers – shallots, potatoes, onions, apples and a wee bit of squash.
In a 400 degree oven roast rutabaga for 10 minutes on a well oiled cooking sheet. Turn veggies and continue roasting for another 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, sauté onions, garlic and celery in oil for 5 minutes. Add the spices, the other vegetables and continue cooking for a few more minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, salt, pepper and raisins and bring to a simmer. Add rutabaga when ready and cook for another 1/2 hour or more.
Chili flavor develops over time so cook ahead and serve as a quick supper the next day!
Add bok choy and ginger mixture. Reduce heat and cook covered for two minutes. Uncover and continue cooking and stirring until the white parts of the bok choy are tender.
If you would like to view or add to your order please click here!
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