Organic Harvest Box for August 10, 2012

I am not actually getting a box this week but am hopefully getting just some beans and sugar snap peas to snack on as the peas were so good last week, I couldn't resist.  I am single parenting with only one child this week and we are not getting through our veggies fast enough before we leave on Saturday morning for a few days away.  There will be no box photo with this post, and no post at all next week.  I do have photo though of the makings for a fantastic quick fresh pasta that we enjoyed Monday evening after arriving home from the cottage.

Put your pasta on to boil as you start this sauce.  Heat approximately 2-3tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat.  While that is heating, finely chop your garlic, add to the oil.  Chop your tomatoes (they don't have to be perfectly uniform, and you can use large or cherry tomatoes) and add to the oil.  They will splatter, turn the heat down a little bit.  Let the tomatoes cook for about 5 minutes.  Chop some fresh basil and add to the sauce with some salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat when the pasta is ready, add some shredded parmesan cheese and stir into the pasta.  I don't know if it was specifically the tomatoes that we had last week in our box, but it was so sweet and tasty that my 2 year old ate 2 full bowls - I didn't have any seconds or leftovers for myself!

I came across this great post today on a quick way to chop cherry tomatoes at Food52.com.  I will be using it when I make this pasta again later this week with my garden tomatoes.

I can't believe all the good fruit coming this week, and then the huge amount of veggies.  These days, I am not the best person to ask about how to cook any of these veggies because as usual, they are mostly getting eaten raw.  But I have been cooking the zucchini.  Zucchini is apparently a great source of antioxidants and Vitamin C but research shows that the antioxidant benefits can decrease depending on how it is prepared.  The best way to keep as many nutritional properties as possible with zucchini is to eat it raw or just briefly steamed, and eat the skin, and seeds if possible.  Summer squashes such as zucchini can have fragile skin that can get bad spots if nicked.  To store your zucchini it is best to not wash it and place it in an airtight container in the fridge.  It should last up to 7 days that way.  If you are getting over run by zucchini from the garden then freezing it is a great option and it does maintain its antioxidants when frozen.  Some websites suggest blanching it before freezing, but my experience is to grate it so it can be thawed later to be used in sauces, baking, or casseroles.  My dad has a huge garden and is constantly picking zucchinis at this time of year.  He reminded me of a stuffed zucchini recipe that he does, and this is the closest I could find online - Stuffed Zucchini with Tomatoes and Mozzarella.  Zucchini goes really well with tomatoes and could be done roasted, sautéed, or raw in a salad such Zucchini Carpaccio (Raw Zucchini Salad).

As I said, my yellow beans are going to get eaten raw as a snack on our road trip.  But there are so many options with yellow or green beans to make a nice side dish.  You can easily sauté or steam them and add your favorite oil/butter/lemon juice and then herbs or seasonings.  This recipe for Garlic Yellow Beans is a great starting point and you can add or adjust with your preference or what's in your pantry.  If beans are still available after my holidays, I am going to get a few pounds and try these Spicy Dilled Beans from Canadian Living.  Their intro caught my eye stating that the dilled beans would be a great cocktail garnish, and I might tone down a jar or two given that the kiddies are into everything pickled (don't judge, but they love a pickle at breakfast).

I often feel that I should be writing more recipes for the fruit that's in the box, however, I would be surprised how many people are actually cooking with their fruit as opposed to just eating it.  But I am going to challenge myself to include 1 fruit recipe each week.  Last week's Plum Strudel recipe was the inadvertent start, and as I was reviewing the list this week, I thought to myself that I better include that easy tart recipe from the Food and Drink, and good thing I looked at last week's blog - already done!  So this week, I want to share some ideas for Mango Salad.  Mango Salad with shrimp is one of my favorite dishes at Vietnamese or Thai restaurants.  Here are two easy recipes with no shrimp in either but it could be added easily.  One recipe for Thai Mango Salad from the Toronto Sun and another recipe from Canadian Living.

Wish me luck on a 6 hour road trip with a 2 year old, some snacks of yellow beans and snap peas, multiple kids CDs, and likely a barrage of stickers in the backseat.  I'll return, somehow rested hopefully, in 2 weeks.

Organic Harvest Box for August 2, 2012

This is going to be a quick one tonight, it's late, I have to get up early and the long weekend is upon us.  It was so nice to see so much local produce in the regular box this week.  If I can brag, I think the cherry tomatoes from my back yard are equally as good as the ones in this week's box, however, they are not as plentiful as I have little hands who get them every time they are outside!  Also to brag, sort of, the week we were on holidays in July I forgot to ask anyone to water my plants.  Most everything did fine except the herb pot, it didn't look like anything survived the week of crazy hot weather.  But after just a couple weeks of watering, there is one plant that is back to life and doing better than before - that little basil plant that we got in our box almost a month ago.  Phew.

Also, last week I made the Chard and Tomato pie from the Bristish website, and it was delicious, a great lunch meal with some fresh veggies.  This week you could do the same recipe and use the beet greens and tomatoes.  Here is a photo of everything getting cooked up.

Last week I meant to give you this recipe for the plums for a lovely dessert out of the Summer 2012 edition of the Food and Drink magazine.

Plum Strudel
Filling
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. fresh bread crumbs (challah bread if you can)
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
3 c. firm ripe plums, cut in 3/4" dice


Pastry
6 sheets of phyllo
1/3 c. melted butter
1/3 c. sugar


Preheat oven to 400F.  Combine 1/2 c. sugar, bread crumbs, flour and cardamom.  Toss all but 2 tbsp bread crumb mixture with plums.  Set aside.  Lay phyllo sheets on counter and cover with a tea towel.  Working with the long edge of the phyllo in front of you, place first sheet on a parchment lined baking sheet, brush with butter and sprinkle with about 1 tbsp. of sugar.  Repeat until all of phyllo and most of sugar have been used.  Sprinkle reserved 2 tbsp of bread crumb mixture on lower third of top layer leaving about 2 inches from the long edge and 1 inch from the short edge.  Place plums over bread crumb mixture.  Fold in short edges and roll pastry lengthwise into a strudel shape, sealing edges with butter and making sure the seam is underneath.  Brush with butter and cut 3 slits on top.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp sugar.  Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the top is browned and plum mixture is cooked. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

I got a sneak peek of the Fuji apples last week when I popped in to pick up my box and I can tell you, they are fantastic, crisp, and so delicious.  One of those ones that I should have remembered to order extra of.

Unfortunately, my little beets did not get pickled last week - these big ones may as we are just two in my house this week and that's a lot of beets to go through.  What I forgot to mention last week was how to store beets.  It is important with these beets to trim the greens off near the top of the beet.  Try to use the beet greens fairly quickly as you would chard (steamed, boiled, sauteed).  Put the beets in a plastic bag, push out as much air as possible and tie up the bag.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks that way.  The beet page at WH Foods outlines all the good properties of beets, and some simple ways to cook them.

I came across a neat summer recipe for Creamy Corn and Zucchini that at first glance I thought it was a salad but as I read the ingredients and directions - it is a cooked dish that's pretty simple.  If you are familiar with the Kraft.ca recipes you know how the recipes are part advertising but still appealing enough to want to make them so you can easily substitute any of the brand name items they recommend for your own choice, and even substitute their dressing recommendations with homemade.  Kraft also had this simple Farmer's Market Corn Toss that would be easy to make with the zucchini this week and maybe pick up some nice local corn.  A few years back a lady I play ball with made a delicious potato salad recipe that is so simple to make, the new potatoes we got this week are the ideal size for this salad:

Potato Salad (courtesy of Dominique)
Red potatoes - cook and cool
Finely chop red onion and shallots
Stir together equal parts of canola oil and plum vinegar.  Add some pepper and cilantro.  Toss with the vegetables and chill.


One last thing, I usually don't say too much about the easy vegetables (that's how I think of them) such as carrots.  When I opened my box and took out the carrots, the variety of colors was fantastic so I thought I should look something up to see if there was any good recipes to showcase the color variety and I came across the carrot museum website - www.carrotmuseum.co.uk  I had a bit of a laugh and then clicked on it, and actually found some really interesting information about all the different colors of carrots (incidentally, the purple carrots have more beta carotene than the orange carrots).  If you scroll down to the bottom of this article, The Many Colours of Carrots, it outlines the nutritional benefits and differences of each of the different colors.  And there is a recipe for Coloured Carrots and Couscous at www.coloredcarrots.com that also looks really good.

Enjoy the local produce, make a caprese salad with the tomatoes and basil, and snack on the sugar snap peas - that's what I'll be doing.

Organic Harvest Box July 5, 2012

It's Thursday evening, I've travelled the Ontario countryside today for work, Brockville and then along the St. Lawrence to Gananoque, and up to Westport and then back to the city.  Hence, no veggie box yet.  I'm looking at the list of ingredients and can't wait to see everything tomorrow.  All I can think is green, green, fresh, green veggies, the kale, the choi, lettuce, basil, more scapes, pears and the green onions.  Most of our vegetables are getting eaten raw this time of year.  And I'm not sure why I even considered any recipes for my peaches or nectarines last week - the kids gobbled them up by Sunday.  I don't doubt that the same will happen this week.

Everything on the list this week (maybe cauliflower excluded) can be used in salad.  And given our heat and the forecast for the coming days - anything that doesn't require cooking is a blessing.  Add some grilled chicken, a can of tuna, or some chickpeas to your salad to make it a meal.  My favorite dressings for salads are homemade.  I have both a salad dressing making bottle (one of those home party companies that list their ingredients down the side for each different dressing) or my tried and true Tupperware Gravy Shaker.  To either I add some olive oil to start (try a nut oil for different flavor), then some vinegar (balsamic, cider, red wine) or fresh squeezed lemon juice, or grapefruit juice, then some seasonings, fresh chopped herbs, maple syrup, garlic, mustard, poppy seeds, or finely chopped onion, a pinch of salt to bring all the flavors together and then shake it up and place in the fridge until you are ready to use it.  You can put it in a jam jar with a sealer top and it should keep for a few days at least.  

My kale chips - they were a bit overdone

I started searching some recipes for red kale specifically and came across so many things that sound delicious.  Again, if I wrote this earlier in the week, I would know to order extras!  I really love how kale turns out in a salad when you massage the dressing into it - like in this very simple Red Kale, Raisin and Toasted Almond Salad and it's topped with Manchego cheese, one of my favorites.  I also love the idea of using the kale chopped up in an omelette, frittata, or Red Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast Squares (you could try substituting the green onions from the box).  The most interesting recipe I found for red kale this week is by far this Bacon Wrapped Red Kale recipe from the Preserving the Soul food blog.

Bacon Wrapped Russian Red Kale
 
1 Head of Kale - Halved or Quartered (depending on size)
1-2 pieces of bacon (depending on your love for bacon)
Handful of fresh thyme
Oil Oil
Balsamic Vinegar 

Halve one Kale. In a mortar, mash up the oil and thyme, drizzle it on the leafs then wrap it in bacon. Drizzle the balsamic and put it in the oven at 375 for, approximately 25-30 minutes or so.

I don't feel very innovative with pak choi - all I do is stir fry it.  If it was winter I would undoubtedly put it into a Chinese noodle soup but not right now.  There are so many different recipes for pak choi or bok choy that it's hard to choose just a few to post.  You might be better off to just pick your favorite stir fry recipe and add your pak choi to that.  This week you could also use small cauliflower florets, garlic scapes cut into 1-2" pieces, and the green onions to fill out the stir fry.  Add some chicken, pork, fish or tofu for some protein and then whip up an Easy Stir Fry Sauce.  I've come across two different sites that have great tips and some easy straight forward stir fry sauces.  First this Super Easy Stir Fry Guide from allrecipes.com walks through the steps of making stir fry and this post on www.fortysomething.ca gives a great list of 15 easy sauces to put on a stir fry.  However, if you want one recipe from start to finish try this Honey Chicken with Pak Choi.

If your cherry tomatoes don't just get eaten as snacks they would go well in this Chickpea and Cherry Tomato Salad.  Or if you have the air conditioner running and don't mind doing a bit of cooking at the stove, Jamie Oliver's recipe for Simple Summer Spaghetti is a great option for the cherry tomatoes and basil, you could substitute the garlic scapes for the garlic, and add some green onion as well.


We are off on holidays starting this weekend and heading to the cottage.  That means that I might actually get to cook all these things that I research each week.  And it also means that I don't have an internet connection and won't be able to post this coming week.  Enjoy.

Organic Harvest Box for June 14, 2012

A potted basil plant?  What if it doesn't grow, how guilty will I feel? It's the same sentiment I had when my mother-in-law told me that she had a hibiscus tree for me when we first got married, what if I kill it?  "Maybe you should keep it for now until we get a bigger place."  That was 15 years ago, I still don't own any indoor plants.

Some basil at Belle Terre

I am pretty decent at keeping a vegetable garden but in the last few years, I haven't had any luck with basil. It could be the constant sun in the backyard, or the plant boxes that didn't retain any moisture, and most recently the children that like to water everything all of the time, over and over and over.  This year, I have my herbs in a new pot, and not surprisingly the mint has taken over almost the whole pot.  Luckily, my oldest daughter is keen to chew on anything that comes out of our garden so every time we go outside, she can have a sprig of mint.  I will try to grow the 3" potted basil in that big herb pot.  I did a bit of reading to make sure I am doing the right things with my basil, and what I did learn is that basil does need sunny conditions (up to 8 hours per day) with soil that has good moisture retention.  It is important to regularly (weekly) pick the basil leaves to encourage further growth, and apparently by pinching the centers, it will promote bushiness.  Fresh basil is so great to have all year if you can.  My favorite use for fresh basil is a simple Caprese Salad which you could do this week with the new basil plant (your first trimming) and the hot house tomatoes.  Pick up a really good piece of buffalo mozzarella or fresh mozzarella, your favorite olive oil and I opt for some balsamic vinegar as well.  Part of the fun of making Caprese salad is deciding how to present it.  Later in the summer when I have cherry tomatoes, I slice them in half and then toss them with squarish chunks of mozzarella or torn pieces of the cheese.  With the tomatoes that are coming in this week's box, a more interesting presentation would be to slice the tomatoes into 1/2" slices and mozzarella into 1/4" slices.  Overlap the tomatoes and mozzarella in a round on a plate or my absolute favorite (taken from a great meal we had at Casa Bella in Gananoque years ago) is to alternate stacking them about 2" high.  Sprinkle the basil leaves over the salad.  Drizzle the olive oil over, sprinkle with a bit of balsamic if you choose and a really good salt (I love fleur de sel for this) and a bit of pepper.

I am making a new lamb dish this weekend for friends from the Early Summer edition of LCBO's Food and Drink magazine - it is Slow-Roasted Breast of Lamb with Potatoes and it calls for Yukon Gold potatoes - how apt that we are getting some in our box.  This dish is a bit fancy, but you could also use your potatoes for roasting in the oven or on the BBQ, or sliced with some onions, the green garlic, and some butter wrapped in tin foil and placed on the BBQ.  Here however is the LCBO recipe - I'm sure in a few months it will be available www.lcbo.com, but not just yet.

4lbs lamb breast on the bone (about 2 breasts), trimmed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2lbs large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut in thirds
1/2 c. 2 inch rosemary sprigs
1 whole head garlic, separated into cloves


SAUCE
1/2 c. red wine
2 tbsp. port
2 c. beef or chicken stock
1 tsp. tomato paste


Preheat oven to 275F.  Cut away any excess fat from the top of the breasts.  Sear, fat side down in a large skillet over high heat for 3 min. or until browned.  Turn over and repeat for bone side.  Season lamb with salt and pepper and place, fat side up, in a roasting pan.  Add potatoes to skillet and toss in lamb fat to coat.  Season with salt and add to roasting.  Sprinkle over rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves and cover pan tightly with lid and/or foil.  Place in oven and roast for 3 to 3 1/2 hrs or until the meat is fork tender and much of the fat has melted.  Uncover, raise heat to 400F and roast for 20-30 minutes longer until potatoes are golden and meat is browned.  Remove lamb and potatoes from roasting pan to a carving board.  Let rest for 10 minutes while you make the sauce.


Discard all fat from roasting pan but keep any juices.  Discard rosemary.  Slip garlic out of skins and discard any burnt ones.  Mash the remaining garlic.  Add red wine and port and place over high heat scraping the base of the pan to incorporate all the browned bits as well as the garlic.  Reduce by half then add stock and tomato pasted.  Continue to boil until sauce coats the back of a spoon.  Divide the breasts into ribs and serve with potatoes and sauce.


I got a sneak peek at the green garlic when I was picking up last week's box from Tasha, it looked so good and I can't wait to use mine.  Green garlic is regular garlic that is picked before the bulbs start to form.  It can be called spring garlic or baby garlic.  Farmers sometimes offer it up when they are thinning their crops and lately as it becomes more popular, some are growing it as a crop.  It has a milder flavor than garlic but still stronger than a green onion or chive.  To use green garlic, slice off the root and remove any tough green leaves.  It can be used in very much the same way as green onions, baby leeks, regular garlic or chives.  I plan to use some of the green garlic in the sauce for a big batch of pasta that I am making for the kids (who are not getting served the breast of lamb).  I also came across this article from the New York Times, Grassy, Sweet and in Season when gathering info on green garlic, and I am definitely going to try their Seared Pork Cutlets with Green Garlic Salsa Verde - with my overabundant mint, my own chives and fresh lemon juice from the lemon in the veggie order.

In wanting to give a few more ideas to use some of the vegetables in this weeks box, I thought that broccoli and lemon or green beans and lemon would make a great combination.  Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks this - I came across so many recipes for both.  I think the appeal is in the contrast of yellow zest against some fresh dark green vegetables and also the fresh taste of lemon paired with some crisp greens. I really had to narrow down the list of recipes so I'm recommending to use the broccoli and lemon with chicken in any one of these recipes: Lemon Chicken and Broccoli, Chicken, Broccoli and Lemon Stir Fry, or Lemony Broccoli Pasta with Chicken.  Or use the lemon with the green beans in Green Beans with Lemon and Garlic, Lemon Green Beans, or Green Beans with Lemon Butter.  All are pretty straightforward easy recipes and most can use the green garlic as well.

Good luck with the basil plant, hopefully it will continue to prosper throughout the summer so it can be used over and over in a variety of recipes and doesn't get sunburned, over watered or picked by little hands too soon.

Thursday, March 17th box: Meals from around the world

by Brie

I love opening up our box and imagining all of the meals we could make with the produce inside. It's like looking at an empty canvas. The hard part comes when I have to narrow down all the choices.

The bag of beets and crimini mushrooms are going to be part of a Ukrainian meal we are making for a weekend dinner party. I tried making homemade pierogies once before and they turned out great. This time I am going to make them with a potato and mushroom filling. The beets are going to be turned into borscht, with a little help from the big bag of celery from our box.

(I am trying to find new recipe ideas for beets. I thought this beet cake with cream cheese icing looked good. Do you have any yummy beet recipes to share?)

The broccoli and leaf lettuce are going to form the basis of two Thai meals. I am thinking of a broccoli and tofu stirfry served with noodles, although I still haven't decided on a sweet ginger sauce or peanut sauce. I love lettuce wraps because there are so many filling options. I love these soba noodles and vegetable lettuce wraps with hosin and chili sauce and curried chickpeas an quinoa recipes.

Finally, the spinach and basil are going to be used to make an Italian meal. I am still deciding between a spinach-walnut pesto and a warm spinach-basil sauce.

This week's box had bananas, blueberries and navel oranges. All great fruit to be eaten for snacks or as dessert!

This is what's on my menu plan this week. What are you cooking?

Brie loves eating food and is learning to love cooking food. She also blogs about motherhood at Capital Mom and about Ottawa with kids at Kids in the Capital.

Organice Harvest Box for June 18, 2010

We are missing our Harvest Box photo this week because we took our family camping this weekend and I had a neighbour bring my box inside for me on Friday night. She had all my goodies packed away in my fridge, so I wasn't able to snap a picture for you! It was hot and humid on Friday, so I made sure she came by to bring my food in as soon as it was delivered (my cooler was not available, since we had it with us on our camping trip). If you will not be home when your Harvest Box is delivered, please leave a cooler on your doorstep and your driver will be happy to place the contents of your box inside. Fresh, local produce can wilt and go bad in a short time in hot, Ottawa summer weather.

Before I started receiving the Life Organic delivery service over two years ago, I had no idea what a garlic scape was. And then one lovely day in June I received these curly delights in my Harvest Box.

Yes, these green, curly ribbon-like "things" are garlic scapes. The garlic scape is the "stem"' from which the seed head of a garlic bulb is formed. As the bulb grows and matures, the stem, or stalk, also begins to lengthen. Over time the scape begins to curve. Garlic scapes taste garlicky but have a fresh, green flavouring. They can be used in a variety of dishes, especially where you would want a garlic flavour. A garlic scape is less strong and has less "bite" than regular garlic cloves.

In the past I have most often used my garlic scapes in pesto - it is delicious, light, and a delightful addition to any pasta. I usually use this Garlic Scape Pesto recipe, but any variation will do, and it is usually best to fiddle with the recipe until you find something that you love. I am planning on trying Kalyn's Garlic Scape Pesto this year, as I've been so pleased and impressed with many of her recipes over the past few months.

For an easy, quick appetizer, try making this White Bean and Garlic Scape Dip - the flavour is fantastic and it is a hit at most parties and get-togethers. I am also intrigued by this recipe for Creamy Garlic Scape Soup and would love to try it out if I have enough garlic scapes to go around this week! Great for the barbecue, these Grilled Garlic Scapes are something easy to add to a weeknight meal. More of a pizza lover? Give this Garlic Scape And Ricotta Pizza a go and wow your friends and family. And if you fancy yourself an egg connoisseur, please let me know if you get an opportunity to try out these Zucchini Eggs. They look delicious!

And while we're on the topic of pesto, let's talk about your basil plant! Nothing tastes like fresh basil, and once you go fresh, you will never go back to the dried stuff in a jar (well, unless you absolutely have to). It is easy to keep your basil plant alive - so don't fret if you're not an expert gardener. Basil likes lots of sunlight, and lots of water - keep the soil moist and water it often. If the plant starts to flower, just pinch the bulbs off and your plant will keep growing and growing.

Fresh basil is most often associated with thoughts of home-made pesto. And if you want to try the good stuff, I urge you to give this Homemade Pesto Recipe a go. You'll love it! I tend to chop up basil and throw it in almost anything I'm cooking - pasta dishes, grilled chicken or fish, salads, etc. You can really enjoy the flavour of fresh basil in a simple Caprese Salad, although basil lends itself well to many salad types. This basic Tomato and Basil Crostini is a great appetizer or lunch addition, and the pairing of tomato and basil simply can't be beat. Which is why basil goes so well with so many tomato pasta dishes. For something a little unique, try this Mixed Fresh Herb Pasta.

Looking for something a little different . . . spectacular, maybe? Serve up this Boursin Burger and be ready to be the talk of all your friends - and be sure to have enough on hand for everyone to have seconds. And I just love the sound of these Lemon Basil Snaps - what a beautiful addition to such a light cookie. If I get a chance to make these this week I will most definitely take pictures and share.

Enjoy your produce and have a wonderful week!