IG Fresh Haul Week 5
Cabbage your Enthusiasm
There are some new additions to haul this week. Along with some old favourites. With a couple vegetables that I am really excited for.
There is so much abundance at the garden right now. I am finding it a bit of a challenge to pace vegetables at times. Which is a great problem to have.
Moving out of weed season and transitioning into, giving support to all of those warm weather plants.
*Half Haul *Peppers are coming into season.Totally out of control
Ok maybe weeding season isn’t over yet. At least I wish it was, it will be a constant thing to keep up on at the garden. At least it gives me more time to get caught up on the rest of the garden tasks.
Number one on list, deal with tomatoes and peppers. I say deal what I really mean is tidy them up a bit. The tomatoes could use a little support in the form of weaving some twine through them. Ok let me back up, weaving gives the tomato plants extra support this time of year when they are heavy with foliage and fruit. With all of that extra fruit coming on now is a great time to give them a little extra nutrient boost to help them put energy into producing tomatoes.
Peppers are getting a bit different treatment. Peppers love heat and less water than some of the other plants in the garden. So they are getting covered with a small tunnel of green house plastic to help them get a bit more of that summer heat. As a result I need to trim the base of the plants of their extra leafs. This allows the plant to put more energy into producing big healthy fruit and less time into producing more leafs.
You wouldn’t think that having a huge an abundance of food coming from the garden would be a problem but it is at times. I am having to pace the amount of vegetables, not because I want to hold back and not give everything that is available in the garden. It is more because I don’t want to overwhelm customers with fresh produce. I want to make sure that you have time to go through what you are getting and then its another fresh restock on Saturday for you pick up.
Speaking of eating vegetables, I am really excited for two different vegetables this week. The red and green butter lettuce and the golden beets. Every year I plant golden beets and every year I wish I planted more. This is my note to myself that I need to plant half of bed red beets and half golden beets. Yellow beets are great cooked and added to salads or mixed into roasted vegetables and a bonus they don’t stain the other vegetable around them.
The other veggie that I am excited for this week is the salanova lettuce mix (red and green butter and oak leaf lettuce). Spoiler alert I already test trailed it. You know for quality control purposes… It is the perfect combination of crunchy texture, bright vibrant colour and fresh mild taste. I can’t really say enough about it, and to think that I held off on buy this seed for 3 years. Ok the price point was my main sticking point. To give you a basic idea. Two beds of this lettuce was the same cost as all of my regular lettuce, kale, arugula, spinach seed combined. Yet after seeing the final finished product I am sold on it!
What’s In The Haul
HALF
Kale
Green Cabbage
Red and Green Butter Lettuce
FULL
Red and Green Butter Lettuce
Peas
Cucumber
Napa Cabbage
Red and Gold Beets
Kholrabi
Sage
Week 4 Recipes
Green Cabbage
Classic Coleslaw
Bacon and Onion Fried Cabbage
Cabbage Storage Tips:
Store cabbage in the fridge, whole and uncut. It will stay good in the fridge for up to 2 months. When ready to use just peel off a couple outer leaves.
When freezing cabbage you can cut into 1/4 wedges or shred the cabbage. Blanch the wedge cabbage for 4 minutes and the shredded cabbage for 1 and half minutes. Next strain the cabbage and shock it in ice cold water. Place the cabbage on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 3 hours and then place into freezer bags.
Classic Coleslaw
4 cups cabbage, shredded
1 Bunch of Green Onions
1/4 cup mayo
3 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
Salt and Pepper
In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Let the coleslaw sit in the fridge for a couple hours before serving.
Bacon and Onion Fried Cabbage
4 strips of bacon
1 onion, diced
2 cups cabbage, diced
1 tbsp vinegar
Salt and Pepper
In a sauté pan over medium high heat, cook the bacon to desired doneness. Once cooked remove the bacon from the pan, but leave all the bacon fat still in the pan. Add in the diced onion and cabbage. Cook the veggies until the cabbage becomes soft. Add in the vinegar, salt and pepper and cook for another minute. Serve.
Napa Cabbage
Asian Cabbage Rolls
Korean Coleslaw
Napa Cabbage Storage Tips:
Store cabbage in the fridge, whole and uncut. It will stay good in the fridge for up to 2 months. When ready to use just peel off a couple outer leaves.
When freezing cabbage you can cut into 1/4 wedges or shred the cabbage. Blanch the wedge cabbage for 4 minutes and the shredded cabbage for 1 and half minutes. Next strain the cabbage and shock it in ice cold water. Place the cabbage on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 3 hours and then place into freezer bags.
Asian Cabbage Rolls
1 head of Napa Cabbage
1 lb ground pork
1 bundle of green onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 chili pepper, finely chopped
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soya sauce
Have a large pot of boiling water ready, this will help roll the cabbage leafs. Remove the leafs off of the Napa cabbage. With a pairing knife remove the vain running down the middle of the cabbage. Next dip the leaf into the simmering water for 5 seconds, just enough to slightly cook the cabbage.
In a large bowl, combine the pork, green onions, garlic, ginger, chilli pepper, fish sauce and soya sauce. Mix everything together thoroughly. Take a small ball of pork mixture and put it in the middle of the Napa cabbage leaf and roll it up tight. Place in a oven safe pan and repeat the process. Once all the rolls are done, add 1/4 cup water to the bottom of the pan and cook in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Serve with a bit of teriyaki sauce.
Korean Coleslaw
1 head of thinly sliced Napa cabbage
1 medium carrot, cut into match sticks
1 small onion, sliced
Dressing
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp red chilli flakes
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Add the thinly sliced vegetables to a bowl and mix together. In a separate bowl add garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, chilli flakes, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Mix together until everything is combined and pour over the sliced veggies. Mix together and let it sit in the fridge
Butter Lettuce
Blue Cheese Dressing
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Lettuce Storage Tips:
In a resealable container or bag, line the bottom with a paper towel. Place the lid back on or reseal the bag and store in your fridge for up to 7 days. A container works great because it prevents the lettuce from getting bruised.
Blue Cheese Dressing
1/4 cup mayo
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp vinegar of your choice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
Salt and Pepper
In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients together and mix well. Spoon over crisp romaine and garden veggies.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove of crushed garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients together and mix well.
Beets
Roasted Beet Salad
Garlicky Beet Greens
Crusty Bread with Cream Cheese and Roasted Beets
Beets Storage Tips
In a resealable container or bag, line the bottom with a paper towel. Place the lid back on or reseal the bag and store in your fridge for up to 7 days. A container works great because it prevents the lettuce from getting bruised.
Roasted Beet Salad
Beets, cooked with skin removed
1/4 cup toasted walnuts or nuts and seeds of your choice
1 cup micro-greens of your choice
Goat cheese
Dressing
/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
Thyme
Roast the beets in the oven for an hour at 350 degrees. Once cooked, let the beets cool for a minute and then peel. In a sauté pan over high heat toast the nuts until they are brown and toasted. In a bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing. Next add in the diced cooked beets, toasted nuts, cheese and micro greens. Add salt and pepper and toss everything together.
Garlicky Beet Greens
1 bundle beet greens, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper
In a sauté pan over medium high heat, heat the olive oil. Once the oil is hot add in sliced garlic and chopped beet greens. Cook greens for a couple minutes until wilted. Add salt and pepper, enjoy.
Crusty Bread with Cream Cheese and Roasted Beets
1 lbs of cook and peeled beets
1 cup cream cheese
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp fresh thyme
The juice and zest from half of a lemon
loaf of crusty bread
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Cut a couple slices of crusty bread and grill it on the BBQ or toast. Cut the beets into chunks or slices. In a bowl add in the cream cheese, thyme, honey, zest and lemon juice; mixing well. Now to assemble. Take the toast and spread on a generous amount of the cheese mixture. Layer on top as much or as little beets you desire and drizzle with olive oil. Enjoy!
Kale
Kale Pesto
Winter Greens Salad
Kale Storage Tips:
Take the washed kale and place in a zip lock bag or air tight container. Put a dry piece of paper towel in the bag or container to wick away any moisture. Kale is pretty resilient and will last in your fridge up to 10 days.
Freezing kale, remove the rib from the kale leaf. Blanch the kale in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove the kale from the water, letting it air dry or dry it off with a dry towel. Place it on a baking sheet and put into the freezer for 2 hours. Once frozen put into a zip lock bag and put it back into the freezer. It will last up to 3 months.
Winter Greens Salad
1 bundle of any hardy greens of your choice
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice from half a lemon
1/4 tsp red chilli flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Toasted Bread Crumbs
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp butter
With your hands tare the greens into bit size pieces. In a large bowl combine the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, parmesan cheese, chilli flakes, salt and pepper. Give the dressing a quick mix and put in the greens. Make sure to evenly coat the greens in the dressing and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to let the dressing, break down an soften the greens. While the salad sits, make the toasted bread crumbs. In a non stick pan over medium heat add the butter until melted. Let it brown slightly and add in the bread crumbs. Make sure to evenly coat the bread crumbs in the butter. Continue to let me brown for 1 minute. Add hot bread crumbs to the top of your salad and finish with more parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Kale Pesto
8 leaves of kale, roughly chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice from half a lemon
1/4 cup walnuts
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup grated parmasion
Salt and Pepper
In a dry (no oil) sauté pan over hight heat toast the walnuts, until they are becoming brown and aromatic. Dump the walnuts into a bowl. Next in the same pan put the roughly chopped kale with some water and steam the kale. Once the kale is steamed pour off any excess water and put the kale and the rest of the ingredients into a food processor. Blend everything together to form a smooth paste.
Peas
Gnocchi with Spring Peas
Peas with Brown Butter and Mint
Peas Storage Tips:
Peas can be stored in a bag in the fridge for a week. Any longer the peas should be frozen.
Freezing peas, put the shelled peas into a pot of boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove and place the peas into a bowl of ice water. Strain the peas, putting the peas on a clean dish towel on a baking tray and freeze for 1 hour. Next put the peas into a zip lock bag and put into the freezer. They will last up to 6 months.
Gnocchi with Spring Peas
1 cup potatoes, boiled and mashed
2 cups flour
1 egg
Boil and mash the potatoes. In a large bowl add the mashed potatoes, flour and egg, mix together until the dough forms a ball. Divide the dough into 1/4’s and form into a little ball. Take each small ball of dough and roll out into long snakes. On a floured surface cut the snakes into half inch pieces.
In a large pot of lightly salted water cook the gnocchi for 3-5 minutes. Drain and serve with sauce of your choice.
Or try this sauce to go with your gnocchi, you can find most of the ingredients in your IGFresh hauls.
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 leaves of sage
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup cooked peas
Salt and Pepper
In a saute pan over medium heat, warm up the olive oil. Once the olive oil is warm add the sage leaves and let them fry for 1 minute. Next add in the chopped garlic and cooked peas. Let everything gently fry for another minute. Add cooked gnocchi to the pan and toss everything together. Add salt and pepper together to taste.
Peas with Brown Butter and Mint
1 cup shelled peas
2 tbsp butter
4 leafs of fresh mint
Salt and Pepper
Put 4 cups of water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Shell your peas and turn down the heat to medium. Directly add in your and let them simmer for 2 minutes. Strain and set off to the side. In a sauce pan over medium heat add your butter and let it brown. You will notice the butter go from golden to a light brown colour. Add your peas to the brown butter and remove the pan from the heat. Add roughly chopped mint, salt and pepper. And stir until everything is evenly mixed. Enjoy!
Kohlrabi
Pickled Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi and Pear Salad
Kohlrabi Storage Tips:
Kohlrabi, can be stored in your fridge as is, and can stay fresh for 3 weeks.
Freezing kohlrabi, peel the thick skin from the vegetable. Cut into 1 inch cubes and blanch the kohlrabi in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove from the water and transfer to an ice water bath to stop the cooking. Put the cooled kohlrabi into a freezer bag and freeze. It will last in the freezer for 6 months.
Kohlrabi and Pear Salad
1 large kohlrabi, peeled and sliced
2 ripe pears, sliced
1/4 cup walnuts
1 bundle of green onions sliced
1 bundle of parsley
1 leaves of mint
3 tbsp olive oil
Juice from half of a lemon or 1 tbsp of vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Peal and slice the kohlrabi and place in bowl. Then add the thinly sliced pear, walnuts, green onion, roughly chopped parsley and mint, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss the salad together and let sit in the fridge for a couple hour for the salad to come together and develop flavour.
Pickled Kohlrabi
1lb kohlrabi
1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1 clove of garlic, sliced
To a small sauce pan over medium heat add in the water, vinegar, salt, sugar. Let it come to a simmer until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
Peel and cut the kohlrabi into 1/4 inch half moons and put in a jar with the slice garlic, ginger and peppercorns. Pour the pickling liquid over the kohlrabi in the jar. Cover with a lid and let it sit for 10 minutes. Move to the fridge and let the pickling process continue, for at least 3 days.
Cucumbers
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Cucumber Storage Tips:
Storing cucumbers is easy as wrapping them in dry paper towel and placing them in an open plastic bag. Make sure the bag is left open to allow air flow. Cucumbers will store in the fridge like this for a 10 days.
The alternative method is to just store the cucumbers on the counter. They will delicious and crisp like this for 7 days.
CREAMY CUCUMBER SALAD
1 cucumber
1 bundle of green onions
1 tbsp white vinegar
3 tbsp mayo
Salt and Pepper
Cut cucumbers into coins. Roughly chop the green onions. In a bowl combine cucumbers, green onions, vinegar, mayo, salt and pepper.
Sage
Sage Storage Tips:
Break up herbs into to categories, tender herbs and Harty herbs.
Tender herbs are as follows basil, cilantro, mint, dill, and tarragon. These herbs spoil quickly and should be used 5 days after getting. The best way to store them is in a mason jar or glass of water with the stock sitting in the water. Much like fresh cut flowers.
Harty herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sweet marjoram and sage are much more forgiving. Tie the bundle of herbs into a boutique and store in the fridge for 7-10 days.
