Week Nine

It's week nine of our summer CSA program here on the farm. Wow how time is flying we only have seven weeks left before we wrap up. Of course wrapping up is all relative a we will be heading into a busier season with winter CSA. 

Our customers are literally about to show up for this weeks great veggie selection. What comes at the end of July? Well this week the basket include: kale, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, summer squash and corn.  A pretty tasted line up if I do say so. Check out the picture below to see how our CSA table looks. 

Updated Scape Recipe

Below you will find the original scape pesto that we shared with you last year. If you have tried both why not let us know what you think!

Ingredients

• 6 garlic scapes, chopped
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup pecans
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place the garlic scapes, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and pecans in the bowl of a food processor. Drizzle the olive oil over the mixture. Blend until the pesto is a brilliant green color and smooth in texture. Season with salt and pepper.

It has been another busy week so far but thanks to some great help yesterday from two volunteers the picking for CSA went quickly. Its getting to be the time of year where there is lots to pick. Yesterday it took three people two hours just to pick beans and peas. Needless to say that was only two of eight crops that were being picked for today's CSA pick up.

Beautiful fresh beans. We have four colours this year: green, yellow, blue (purple) and purple spotted (dragon tongue).

As a regular part of our CSA we often include kale. It is a pretty prolific grower and people are always asking for suggestions about how to use it up. So thanks to Tina who shared this kale salad recipe.

Kale Salad

½ cup raisins (optional) soaked in balsamic vinegar overnight

Large bowl of cut up kale

Can of mandarin oranges

½ c toasted sliced almonds

Dressing:

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (if using raisins, can use the balsamic they were soaked in)

¼ cup olive oil

2 tbsp maple syrup

S & P to taste

½ the juice from can of mandarin oranges

Dress in advance to soften kale. Top with toasted almonds and orange slices (and raisins) just before serving.

2013 Winter CSA Registration Now Open

2013 Winter CSA

Registration Now Open

visit www.creekshorefarms.ca for more information

Cooking Supper Outside? Yes Peas!

So I know Amanda already posted about loving peas, but you know what I love?  Grilling my food outside on the barbecue or over an open fire....peas just happened to be my victim this week.  It doesn't matter if you eat 1 serving of vegetables twice a year or you live on a strict vegan diet, everything tastes better over fire.  Not only does it taste great, but usually the meals can be simple and quick, something often important on the farm.

This delicious selection was made over the fire pit you see in the background.  The sausage while delicious was nothing compared the homegrown goodness up front.  Cooked over the fire in a cast iron fire pan was the simple concoction of peas, summer squash and garlic shoots mixed with a little olive oil.

So if you like good food, just grab a cast iron pan, find any veggies you have on hand, mix with some oil and enjoy!

I love peas!!!

Its true I really do love peas and not just eating them fresh. I love them cooked too and I really love them in creamed peas on toast (yes it is really delicious!). Currently our pea plants are working overtime churning out  a huge amount of peas for our CSA. This week each member is getting 2 liters of peas and there will be more that will go to our local food bank.
What else is growing right now you may ask. Well we had our first harvest of kohlrabi today and summer squash will probably be going gangbusters soon. Its great to see everything growing so well this season.

As per a request from one of our CSA members here is a recipe for garlic pesto!

Basil & Garlic Scape Pesto

4-5 fresh garlic scapes, cut into 2-inch-long pieces
(discard the bulb)
1-2 cups fresh basil leaves
½- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup walnuts or slivered almonds, toasted
⅓-½ cup extra-virgin olive oil or cold-pressed canola oil

Put everything but the oil into the bowl of a food processor and pulse, pouring the oil in a thin stream through the feed tube and scraping down the sides of the bowl, until the mixture is as smoothly puréed as you like. Makes about 2 cups.

http://www.westernlivingmagazine.com/FD/0713.How-to-Cook-with-Garlic-Scapes-Basil-Garlic-Scape-Pesto.html

I'm not sure if this is the one we have previously shared as I cannot find it but hopefully its close!

Check out this one for another variation using swiss chard

http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/2012/06/garlic-scape-cilantro-swiss-chard-pesto.html