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.
Cold Temperatures in the South Affect More Than Just the Super Bowl!
Here is a report from the organic farms in the south… waaaay south. We’re talking California and Mexico. I will try to get a more comprehensive report on how this freeze is affecting individual crop types on the blog later this week!
“The freeze hit hard last night.(Feb 4th) Expect next week to be a whole new world with limited product and higher prices.
Hard to believe, but it was warmer in Edmonton last night than in many parts of Northern Mexico. This is the coldest blast that has hit some of these major growing regions in recorded history. This time of year there is very little production in the Central and Salinas Valleys (California), with pretty well everything coming out of the Imperial Valley and Mexico. On the west side of the valley, El Centro (CALI) was -3 this morning while it was -1 in Edmonton. Holtville on the east side of the valley also -2C. Coupled with the cold temperatures, humidity was only 5%. This dries out frozen plants very quickly.
South of the border Caborca has lost its asparagus, Mexicali Valley has severe damage to green onions, asparagus, carrot, radish and cauliflower…..2/3 of the mainland zucchini crop has been frozen out, and the next set of transplants for zucchini, field cukes and peas has also been lost through most of Sonora……”
This recipe made Blake Hunter of The Good Seed into a Sunchoke lover!
3 Tbsp butter or coconut oil
5 shallots, thinly sliced or 1/2 onion
3 celery sticks, thinly sliced
1 lb Jerusalem artichokes, peeled & diced
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 cup cream or coconut milk (250 ml)
1/4 cup dehulled hemp seeds (aka hemp hearts)
1/2 lb mushrooms
3 Tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
Melt 2 Tbsp of the butter/coconut oil in a soup pot, over a low heat. Sauté shallots in the butter for five minutes. Add celery and Jerusalem artichokes, cooking for several minutes.
Add the stock and season to taste. Bring the soup to a boil, and then turn the heat down low and allow the soup to simmer for 40 minutes.
Add the cream/coconut milk and the hemp hearts after 30 minutes. Puree the soup with a stick blender or in the food processor.
Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms. Chanterelles are great in season! Melt the remaining 1 Tbsp of butter/coconut oil in a frying pan and sauté the mushrooms until golden and cooked. Season with salt and pepper.
Bring the soup back to the boil. Serve in soup plates. Divide the mushrooms and chopped parsley between the plates.
Have you ever had a case of the mid-winter blues because you miss the summer markets, all the tasty treats synonymous with warm weather and your local farmer’s smiling face? Well, the Victoria Downtown Public Market Society will lift your spirits by hosting a Winter Market in Market Square from 11am to 3pm on the third Saturday of each month (through March 2011).
The Winter Market will feature many of your favorite local food producers including Terra Nossa farm with local meats, Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, Iron Maiden Seafood, Saanich Organics, Bread by Matt, Vancouver Island Salt Company, Haliburton, Kildara and SunTrio farms plus hot mulled apple juice from LifeCycles, live music, and much, much more.
Market Square’s inner courtyard provides shelter and a unique historical atmosphere to engage every sense as you wander the stalls and marvel at the surprising amount of local food on offer during the winter months. Admission is free and suitable for the entire family.
Victoria Winter Farmers’ Market
Third Saturday of each month, 11am to 3pm
Dec 18, 2010. Jan 15, Feb 19 and March 19, 2011.
Market Square, 560 Johnson Street in Downtown Victoria, BC
We’re beginning to exhaust the local autumn bounty and the Local Box has become more bio-regional. We have some lovely local winter crops but are starting to look further afield to have enough diversity. Our Bio-region includes the island, BC, and Washington.
The same transformation has happened to the supplemental Harvest Box except we are keeping those items BC only. This has been the longest we’ve been able to have an island-only Local Box!
many Many MANY thanks to the farmers who have made this possible!
End the War Against the Earth
“When we think of wars in our times, our minds turn to Iraq and Afghanistan. But the bigger war is the war against the planet. This war has its roots in an economy that fails to respect ecological and ethical limits – limits to inequality, limits to injustice, limits to greed and economic concentration.
“A handful of corporations and of powerful countries seeks to control the earth’s resources and transform the planet into a supermarket in which everything is for sale. They want to sell our water, genes, cells, organs, knowledge, cultures and future.
“The continuing wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and onwards are not only about ‘blood for oil’. As they unfold, we will see that they are about blood for food, blood for genes and biodiversity and blood for water.”
-Vandana Shiva: Time to End the War Against the Earth, the Age, November 4, 2010
” I think its safe to say that when your tongue sticks to the brussell sprouts they are too cold to cut. Although all the leaves shatter off when you touch them. If you still want them and pack instructions in the boxes to thaw by the fire overnight we can arrange something. As it stands I will bring squash and garlic in this morning.”
Dave's daughter, Lola, "stuck" to frozen brussel sprouts
Luckily we received a huge load of green cabbage from Jon at Alderlea Farm before this winter freeze set in. It’s all a matter of scale really… think of the cabbage as a GIANT brussel sprout!
What to do with a couple cobs of corn? A number of recipes call for corn OFF the Cob. Here is a video of how to do that! (video will play after the ad)
Even if you’ve done it before this video has a few new ideas. A bundt pan is used to hold the cob and collect the raw kernels! Our farmers have had a wonderful season of late corn. Wrap whole cobs, husk and all, in plastic and stick in the freezer for later use. To use up 1 or 2 fresh cobs make corn chowder or add corn kernels to stir fry and fried rice. Put it into your corn bread recipe and don’t forget Black Bean and Corn Salad!
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. You can also cook beans in a slow cooker overnight or all day while doing more important things.
Combine the following:
2 cups cooked black beans
1 green pepper diced
1/3 cup sweet onions minced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro minced
1 hot pepper diced
1 1/2 cup kernel corn (2 cobs) lightly steamed
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
Add:
2 ripe tomatoes chunked or 8 cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Thank You to our Farmers
At this time of year we take the opportunity to be thankful for the harvest and for the farmers that grow our food! Here are our main growers and some of their crops.
Daphne, Brian and crew at Kildara Farms – Pumpkins, Potatoes, Basil
Tom Clegg and Family at Sungold Meadows – Strawberries, Lettuce, Squash, Fennel
Joe and Sheila at Kingcott Farms – Beets, Corn
Wendy Montana at West Wind Farm – Eggplant, Pepper, Tomatoes, Garlic
Isabelle Morris at Wyndlow Farm – Carrots, Corn, Potatoes
Ian Franey at Isabella Orchard – Apples Apples Apples
The Bulter Family at The Hazelnut Farm – Roasted Hazelnuts & Hazelnut Butter
Evelyn Perriera at Terra Nossa – Eggs, Pork
The O’Brien Brothers at Sun Trio – Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Sprouts
The Farmers at Saanich Organics – Chard, Kale, Endive
Ruby and Ivan at Ruby Red Farms – Blueberries!
Graham at Maple Groove Farm – Raspberries
Dave and Natalie at Madrona Farm – Potatoes, Kale, Lettuce, Brussel Sprouts
Dan Ferguson at Dragonfly Farm – Spinach, Salad, Onions
John and Katy at Alderlea Farm – Cabbage, Cucumbers
And many other producers and suppliers…
We are blessed!
And lastly thanks to all of YOU for supporting us and the farmers!
Share Organics chooses to offer a selective list of produce that can be sourced locally and in season. Box services like ours developed out of the CSA model where city folk purchased a “share” of the harvest from a local farmer. You ate what was ripe in the field that week. Share Organics started as a buyers group with ten families purchasing organic produce together. Within a few years we were 45 families and looking for local producers. We were surprised to find nothing available! Today we have growers’ contracts with 12 different farms and so our weekly offerings reflect what is ready for harvest in their fields. Each vegetable has its season and when it’s ready in quantity it goes into the box! None of our farmers show an interest in growing celery but we keep trying!
We also try to carry all the “basics”. Our farmer friends on the mainland help us extend the seasons, and co-ops in Mexico can also provide us with a reliable source of organics to expand our offerings to include “basics” like citrus and bananas. We choose NOT to buy off the continent with the exception of ginger (Hawaii or Peru) and bananas (Ecuador or Peru). We choose fair-trade products.
We’ve come a long way: we were able to offer our LOCAL ONLY BOX every week last year! We also had 2 or 3 local products in all our boxes last winter. This week we are 100% local in the veggie portion of ALL our boxes and had a good local berry season and are now offering apples from two local farms. We are on the lookout for island pears and plums!
tin pie plates are for keeping the woodpeckers away!
Chef Survival 3- AT MADRONA FARM…
Quest for the Golden Broccoli!
Sunday, October 3rd from 12 – 5 pm
$75 for adults ($35 is tax deductible)
$15 for kids under 12, aged 6 and under are free
Support the Island Chefs Collaborative and The Land Conservancy
A Culinary Arts Performance of Epic Proportions!
Come and watch 20 of the Islands Best Chefs engage in a boot camp style obstacle course on Madrona Farm.
At this catered event you can watch some of the city’s finest chefs go head to head through a very challenging obstacle course, including the infamous boat race to condiment island, climbing wall, irrigation pipe-crawl, haystack hurdles and much more.
Come cheer these chefs as they race around around the farm to pick the vegetables they need to create their masterpieces. Spectators can join in on the festivities by bidding on the meals the chefs create and playing the ‘Whats on the Plate, Mate?’ game, for prizes and gift certificates from participating restaurants.
Visit us at the Eat Here Now Market on Sunday Sept 26 at Spirit Square (aka Centennial Square).
We will be making vegetable people! Come on down and have some fun!
Today is the first day of fall and as fruitarians we turn to apples – so many kinds – pears – so juicy and plums – for a few more weeks! All Local or BC. Remember pears ripen from the inside out so don’t wait until they are soft!
This week we are offering some new products from local supplier Terra Nossa Farms in Mill Bay. Evelyn and family have been supplying our lovely certified organic eggs this summer. They also raise meat birds and pork.
Our local farmers have to overcome many obstacles to continue to provide us with quality meats. This way of raising animals is expensive. We believe that small quantities of local humanely raised meat can be a healthful part of our diet and NOT negatively impact the planet. We recommend smaller servings less frequently. Over the years the discussion has touched on two main areas:
Environment
“A person existing chiefly on (industrially produced) animal protein requires 10 times more land to provide adequate food than someone living on vegetable sources of protein.”
- from Wikipedia.org
Michael Pollan talks about the advantages of local meat eating to the success of small local farms on organicconsumers.org
Ethics
The industrial model of meat production is criminal in its treatment of animals.
“For my own part, I’ve discovered that if you’re willing to make the effort, it’s entirely possible to limit the meat you eat to nonindustrial animals … Yes, meat would get more expensive. We’d probably eat less of it, too, but maybe when we did eat animals, we’d eat them with the consciousness, ceremony and respect they deserve.” – Michael Pollan
Wednesday, September 22nd at 7pm (doors open at 5:30pm)
Victoria Event Centre, 1415 Broad St
$10 suggested donation
Cash bar, local organic food concession, popcorn, coffee, door prizes, more!
FoodRoots is excited to partner with Open Cinema in presenting “FRESH – new thinking about what we’re eating”. Come see the film, hear the panelists, and join in the discussion!
FREE Victoria Harvest Festival celebrates local and adds flavor to the future of Vancouver Island grown food.
Celebrate Victoria’s first annual Harvest Fest on Sunday, September 26th from 11am – 4pm at Spirit (Centennial) Square! Showcasing local farmers, food processors, restaurants, and small businesses that are contributing to food security in our region, and to encourage Victoria citizens to shop locally and make the connection: where their food comes from. This FREE community event will also help promote the creation of a year-round, indoor public food market and raise awareness of the Victoria Downtown Public Market Society (VDPMS). Experience a large local produce farmers market; “buck-a-bite” food samplings from some of the region’s top restaurants; beer, wine and cider tastings; and a tea and coffee sampling station. A kids’ area will be hosted by Lifecycles Project Society, Share Organics and the Greater Victoria Compost Education Center. Music provided by amazing local bands and DJs.
Share Organics will be making Veggie People with the kids at the Festival. Here is a shot of some of the creations from FringeKids.
Tarragon Dijon Chicken
These two flavors blend into one incredible taste!
Pasture raised poultry takes much less time to cook.
Heat a skillet to medium high and brown for a few minutes on each side:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Cowichan Bay Chicken breast or 2 leg and thigh
Place chicken in 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Sauté in same skillet until soft:
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 garlic minced
Add and reduce to half
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 Tbsp chopped Tarragon
Whisk in
- 1/4 cup yogurt
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- Fresh GroundPepper
Spoon sauce over chicken just before serving.
(Denise wonders if this recipe would work with tempeh?)
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
We are all out of frozen apple juice but the new season for pressing is just beginning! We are expecting more juice in a few weeks. Kildara Farms will be pressing 1 Litre jugs and Isabella Orchard, 2 Litre jugs for us.
Down at The Hazelnut Farm in Saanich Adele reports that the harvest is a bit late this year and we will have to wait until October to order more hazelnuts, hazelnut butter and chocolate hazelnut butter. Shell, roast, grind and add chocolate… Mmmmmm.
Meanwhile tomatoes are in full production! 10 LB cases of Roma and Alicante. Did you know you can freeze tomatoes whole? Then over the winter just grab a few big ones out of the freezer to put in your soup or stew. Thaw them and the skins pop off or cook them frozen and fish the skins out before serving.
Hints for preparing Scarlet Runner Beans
Wash and top and tail the beans and if necessary remove the string from the side of the bean using a small, sharp knife. Chop the beans into even-sized diamond pieces or slice into ribbons before cooking.
To serve, toss in butter and a little lemon zest or stir in 1 tbsp pine nuts and a drizzle of oil from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes.
Wednesday, September 22nd at 7pm (doors open at 5:30pm)
Victoria Event Centre, 1415 Broad St
$10 suggested donation
- Cash bar, local organic food concession, popcorn, coffee, door prizes, more!
- FoodRoots is excited to partner with Open Cinema in presenting “FRESH – new thinking about what we’re eating”. Come see the film, hear the panelists, and join in the discussion!
FREE Victoria Harvest Festival celebrates local and adds flavor to the future of Vancouver Island grown food.
Celebrate Victoria’s first annual Harvest Fest on Sunday, September 26th from 11am – 4pm at Spirit (Centennial) Square! Showcasing local farmers, food processors, restaurants, and small businesses that are contributing to food security in our region, and to encourage Victoria citizens to shop locally and make the connection: where their food comes from. This FREE community event will also help promote the creation of a year-round, indoor public food market and raise awareness of the Victoria Downtown Public Market Society (VDPMS). Experience a large local produce farmers market; “buck-a-bite” food samplings from some of the region’s top restaurants; beer, wine and cider tastings; and a tea and coffee sampling station. A kids’ area will be hosted by Lifecycles Project Society, Share Organics and the Greater Victoria Compost Education Center. Music provided by amazing local bands and DJs.
Tofu Eggplant and Squash in Miso Glaze
For glaze stir together:
1/4 cup Miso
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
Cube and toss in glaze:
1 pkg firm tofu (medium tofu is okay for baking)
1 Japanese eggplant @ 1/3 LB
1 medium zucchini
Let sit for at least a 1/2 hour.
Thread on skewers and BBQ with lid closed for 18 minutes or bake in oven.
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.
We have been very pleased to be able to offer more local herbs this year thanks to Brian and Daphne at Kildara Farms. The dill has been fabulous – dilled potato salad, dilled beans! It can be a tricky business especially with herbs such as cilantro. In this heat they can go to flower very quickly. This morning as they were taking stock, viewing the field for our Tuesday am order, they found the cilantro flowering. The leaves are still very tasty, lots of big cilantro flavour! It is a more feathery variety than the parsley type you might see at a store. Did you know that Cilantro flowers turn in to seeds that we know as the spice Coriander?
Farmer Brian also suggests trying Summer Savory in all recipes calling for Thyme
Last of the cherries this week and they are certified Transitional. This means the orchard uses organic growing methods and is under the training and supervision of the certifying body for a specified period while the soil and/or their own skills improve. We love to support transitional farmers!
Transition Town VictoriaGrassroots Picnic
Sat. Aug. 21st from 12 – 4 p.m
Bring a picnic and your instrument or a teachable skill to this all-ages “Transition Town” gathering in Porter Park east of the Moss St Market. How can we build local resilience as we significantly reduce our dependency on fossil fuels? Which skills will we need in a post-oil world? Learn about food growing and composting, indigenous skills and plants, making solar panels from re-used materials; sing along with the Gettin’ Higher Summer Choir, join a spiral dance, learn non-violent communication and more. Rain or shine.www.transitionvictoria.ca
Coleslaw Variations
½ cabbage, shredded (use a grater)
1 small Walla Walla onion, diced
2 large kale or chard leaves, chiffonade (roll leaves together and cut cross wise into thin ribbons)
2 carrots, grated
Spice it up with any of the following:
Cilantro, cumin and lime
Apple, raisin and Fennel
Dress with:
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Let marinate for a bit if you have time (it gets even better the next day). Use in wraps with grated cheddar!
SEND US YOUR CABBAGE SALAD RECIPES!!
SHARE ORGANICS SPONSORS FRINGEKIDS FEST
IN MARKET SQUARE, 11 AM – 4 PM, SATURDAY AUGUST 28
MARKET SQUARE (560 JOHNSON)
This fun family celebration is one of the Fringe’s best kept secrets. FringeKids is a completely free one-day family festival with live entertainment, music, Fringe Faeries, craft activities, facepainting, 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 the Inter-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. See www.victoriafringe.com
“Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business” – Tom Robbins
This year we have had the pleasure of a very early season for cucumbers. That is because at Suntrio Farms they are growing in “hot houses” using a heat source to keep things warm in January and get the cukes started. They have been growing our lovely tomatoes and sprouts as well. They are the first organic hothouse in Victoria area. Now our field cucumbers are ready with tomatoes to follow soon! These are grown in “greenhouses” – unheated but protected from wind and temperature. Tomatoes are susceptible in the Fall to a type of blight in our wet climate and the way to keep them safe is to cover them. Nearly all local tomatoes are under a cover of some sort for this reason. About 8 years ago we had a bad blight and all tomato plants not under a roof turned black overnight – all green or red tomatoes soon developed black spots as well ruining the whole crop.
The last of the strawberries are going in the local boxes this week and we have been able to fill most of the orders for flats of berries. Raspberries are coming next week we hope blueberries will follow shortly thereafter.
Chicken and Bison
Prices are rising. Karen at Island Bison was telling us that the wet weather this spring meant the bison could not get into some of the usual grazing fields and so needed to be supplemented with hay. Lynn at Cowichan Bay Farm reminded us that we had not had an increase for a very long time. Here at Share we know that meat products are labour intensive because we have to offer you an average weight of, say, 250 g for a boneless breast and the farmers cannot seem to grow them all the same size! So we either give a credit or debit your next invoice for the difference. We are proud to offer these wonderful local products.
Check out the article featuring Cowichan Bay Farm in the latest EAT Magazine, farmer Lyle Young is named a Local Food Hero!
Farmer Lyle Young from Cowichan Bay Farm (and chick!)
Moroccan Carrot Dip
1/4 cup water
1 LB carrots, scrubbed, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
Place the carrots and water in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and steam the carrots until they are very tender
In a food processor or regular blender, puree the carrots. Add and continue to process until the mixture is smooth:
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon coriander
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Drizzle in:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Process just until it is well-blended.
Transfer the carrot dip to a serving dish, and allow to cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled with pita chips, crusty bread or crudités.
“Bike Ride” Theatre
A Homegrown Initiative theatre production where the audience is on bikes and rides from
venue to venue along the Galloping Goose trail to enjoy live 10 minute performances.
Bike Ride is scheduled to depart from Cecelia Ravine Park, 475 Burnside Rd. East from 3:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on July 17 and 18.
Tickets are $15, kids six to 13 are $5, and children five and under are free. Call 250-386-7526 for reservations and more information.
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AGM
Our local farmers have to overcome many obstacles to continue to provide us with quality meats. This way of raising animals is expensive. We believe that small quantities of local humanely raised meat can be a healthful part of our diet and NOT negatively impact the planet. We recommend smaller servings less frequently. Over the years the discussion has touched on two main areas:
