What’s Fresh February 23, 2010
Farm News
Island Organic Producers Association
IOPA is the local organic certifying group on the island. We attended IOPA’s annual meeting this past weekend in Glenora. This group has been meeting and setting standards for organics for over 20 years. Now the Canadian national organic standards are coming into effect and our local certifying organization will be looking to see where their standards differ. On the whole the IOPA standards have been higher than other groups which is why Share Organics feels so comfortable supporting them. Certified Organic is our guarantee for tasty clean food and as guardians of the soil, our guarantee for the future of food!
Our local farms are small, mostly under 5 acres. There are larger organic farms of 400 acres just across the Salish Sea in the Port Townsend area. If we could directly access this regional produce it would make more environmental sense than bringing it from the mainland. If it could be delivered without the use of any fossil fuels it would be a dream come true.
Enter Dave Reid of SailTransport. He has been sailing produce from Port Townsend to Seattle over the past few summers. When approached by Share Organics about a trip to Victoria he was eager to do a demonstration run. Dave sailed into Oak Bay marina from Port Townsend last Thursday morning. It was a twelve hour sail powered solely by wind. Dave in fact does not even have a motor on this boat. Our follow-up trip would include bringing some produce along to ensure he fits the Canada customs requirements. One step at a time!
Warm Jerusalem Artichoke and Potato Salad
Boil in a pot of water:
½ lb Jerusalem Artichokes, chopped
¾ lb potatoes, chopped
Drain and toss with dressing
Dressing – mix:
Minced garlic clove
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp warm water
¼ cup flax oil
½ tsp dill weed
1 tsp pepper
La Molisana Red Wine Vinegar – certified organic, 500 mL $5.99
Sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes) in this week’s box are from Kingcott Farm in Ladysmith!
CRUNCHY BEAN MIX
This product makes a yummy quick and nutritious snack eaten right out of the bag!
It also goes well in a salad, on bread or in a stir fry!
Grown on Salt Spring Island by:
Salt Spring Sprouts and Exotic Mushrooms
This SSI farm has been supplying us with organic bean mix, pea shoots and shitake mushrooms since late summer 2009! They even sprouted us some mung beans for Chinese New Year.
Check out their fabulous tinctures made from Shitake and Reishi Mushrooms on our website!
MADE LOCALLY AND SO GOOD FOR YOU!
