Subscribe to RSS FeedWhat’s Fresh News – Mar 16th
FoodRoots Continues to Help Farmers
Access New Markets!
This past Saturday farmers and growers attended Growing Connections workshops organized by FoodRoots Co-op Distributors to learn the ins and outs of selling to retailers, restaurants and box programs. The idea was to bring young growers into contact with long time farmers to share knowledge and experiences. The co-operative nature of the local farming community was noted many times and the whole conference was a fabulous example of the kind of sharing that has made our local food scene thrive!
Dan from Dragonfly Farm in Glenora spoke about his spinach and salad crops and we’ve got his produce in the box this week! Brian Hughes spoke of his experiences with Canadian Food Inspection Branch this past spring and their limited understanding about agriculture.
We’ve Got Nettles!
Eric from Untamed Feast just delivered our freshly harvested nettles from the Cowichan Valley. Eric is a certified herbalist who hand picks all his wild crops. He recommends boiling nettles for 10 minutes in a small amount of water so they are soft and buttery smooth (not hairy). Drinking the cooking water is highly recommended. Other good properties: nettle tea is excellent for cleansing joints. The external skin reaction produced by nettles brings heat to the area it touches-this can be beneficial for arthritis or bursitis but if you are just cooking or handling the raw product always use gloves or tongs. Once cooked or dried the nettles histamine activity is negated.
To pick your own nettles find a source away from roads and highway pollution, choose the smaller new tops of the plants (before it goes into flower!) and pick using gloves. Make it a practice to pick 1/3 of what is in any spot so your personal patch will be there next year!
Other nettle ideas: nettle potato soup, nettle pesto, nettle spanakopita!
AS ALWAYS WE OFFER FREE DELIVERY with a PRODUCE BOX Without a box a $7.50 delivery charge will apply to orders under $45 – excluding milk and cream AND bulk orders (produce and dry goods from our Bulk Section).
**Did you know buying a box saves you 10% off the a la carte price?***
Magical Broccoli Pie
(Magical because it forms its own bottom crust!)
1 tbsp olive oil
3 chopped green onion
1 tsp dried dill
pinch of salt
Fresh ground Pepper
2 cups chopped broccoli florets and peeled stems
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup butter, cubed
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups milk
In skillet, saute over medium heat: oil, onion, dill, salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in broccoli. Spoon into greased 10-inch pie plate. Top with cheese; set aside.
In bowl, whisk flour with baking powder. Using pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture is in fine crumbs; whisk in eggs and milk until smooth. Pour over broccoli mixture.
Bake in 350ºF oven until golden and knife inserted in centre comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.
www.shareorganics.bc.ca
