IG Fresh Haul Week 3
Great E-scape!
We are hitting a hot spell in July. This is the time of year that we all look forward to, in those cold months of winter. It’s hard to complain about it when there is an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables.
The heat doesn’t come without its own challenges. There are several ways that I will take care of the vegetables in these warm summer months.
Does anyone else seem to notice that their A/C runs none stop this year. I will go over some cooling summer salads that are easy to make and you don’t need to turn the oven on for.
*Half Haul *shade cloth to help beat the heatBeating the Heat
Any time the weather gets over 30 degrees celsius I begin to suffer. I was simply not built for the exceptionally warm weather. Some of the plants in the garden are no different and some absolutely thrive this time of year.
You will start noticing in your haul that things like radishes and baby kale are on their way out. The warm weather pushes the plants to the limits of their biological make up and the heat makes them bolt (start to flower). As a result the leafs become extremely bitter and the root becomes tough and woody. You will also notice in the haul this week that there is romaine. Romaine is no exception to bolting especially the red romaine. If you choose the red this week be careful of the core in the lettuce. You would be better to strip the leafs off of and use it like that.
Other plants like tomatoes, peppers and summer squash thrive in this warm weather. So they’ll be peaking at the perfect time of the year. That will be in a couple weeks time.
There are several ways that I keep cool weather crops like lettuce from being affected by the summer heat. The most logical and readily available method is by watering to cool the crops down. This is done with a timer system that briefly waters the crops for 10 minutes 4 times a day. Another way I keep some crops cool is shade cloth. I will cover lettuce with a 50% shade cloth (lets 50% sunlight through). Limiting the scorching heat on a plant takes the stress off and allows it to still able to grow at a good pace.
Just like those warm weather crops our energy bills start to peak this time of year. I am incredible grateful that I have the ability to keep my house cool this time of year, so I want to avoid heating the house as much as possible. So that means lots of grilling on the bbq or throwing something into the air fryer. And you guessed it lots of salads, the last two weeks have been plentiful salad weeks and this week is no different. This time of year I try and supply as many great salad dressing recipes as possible. That way our salads always stay vibrant and delicious.
What’s In The Haul
HALF
Red or Green Romaine
Kale
Salad Booster Microgreens
FULL
Mesclun Mix (lettuce)
Kale
Red or Green Romaine
Garlic Scapes
Fennel
Stir Fry, Greens Mix (radish greens and baby kale)
Salad Booster Microgreens
Week 2 Recipes
Baby Kale and Radish Greens Mix
Sautéed Stir Fried Greens
Baby Kale & Radish Greens Storage Tips:
Take the washed greens 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 greens. Blanch the greens in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove the greens 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.
Bacon and Collard Greens
2 strips of bacon, diced and cooked
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, slice (optionally use garlic scapes)
1 bunch of kale and radish greens mix, roughly chopped
In a sauté pan over medium high heat, add the chopped bacon to the pan and let it cook fully. Once the bacon is cook and released the fat add in the onion and garlic, let it cook for a couple minutes. Next add the roughly chopped greens to a pan and let it cook for a couple minutes.
Fennel
Fennel and Orange Salad
Fennel Storage Tips:
Remove the fronds (tops) from the bulb base, store the fronds in a resealable bag for up to a week. The bulb end can be placed in a resalable container in the fridge for up to a week.
Fennel and Orange Salad with Toasted Pistachio
1 bulb of fennel, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fennel fronds
1 orange cut into segments
1/4 cup toasted pistachios
1/8 cup dill, chopped
1 tbsp Olive oil
Juice from a 1/4 of a lemon
Salt and Pepper
Cut the tops off the bulb and reserve the fronds to one side. Thinly slice the fennel. Peel one orange and cut the segments out of the orange.
In a sauté pan toast the pistachios until golden. Roughly chop the dill and fennel fronds. Now to assemble the salad. In a bowl toss the fennel, orange, fennel fronds, dill, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Lay out on to a plate top toasted pistachios, enjoy.
Mesclun Mix
French Vinaigrette
Green Goddess 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.
French Vinaigrette
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar of your choice
1 tsp dijon mustard
Fresh or dried herbs of your choice
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a bowl whisk together all of the ingredients until everything comes together in a smooth consistency. Use right away or store in the fridge in an air tight container. (It will store up to 7 days in the fridge, simply shake before using)
Green Goddess Dressing
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or oil of your choice
2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar of your choice
1/4 cup yogurt
1/2 avocado
1 clove of garlic
Herbs of your choice (dill, cilantro, parsley, oregano, chives, sweet marjoram)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tbsp water
In a blender or food processor combine all the ingredients together. Add 1 tbsp of water to the dressing if it is looking too thick and blend together again. Use right away or store in a container for up to 1 week.
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.
Romaine
Classice Caesar Salad
Keilbasa Lettuce Boats
Romaine 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.
Caesar salad
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup mayo
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp anchovy paste
Salt and Pepper
-Mix the ingredients in a bowl and pour over your Caesar salad.
*anchovy paste in the tube stores well in the fridge and is way more convenient than a tin of anchovies.
1 large head or 2 medium heads of Romaine
1 cup of croutons
1/4 cup parmesan
Roughly chop Romaine into bite size pieces. Add croutons, parmesan cheese, and Caesar salad dressing. Mix together and enjoy.
Kielbasa Lettuce Boats
2 heads of Romaine, leafs removed
1 Kielbasa link
3 tbsp butter
1 cup of mushrooms, sliced
1 pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
Salt and Pepper
On a preheated BBQ, grill the kielbasa until lightly charred.
Separately in a pan over medium heat add butter, onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and let cook until veggies are soft about 5 minutes. Cut the kielbasa into bite size pieces and add to the pan of vegetables and mix in evenly. Next all that is left to do is fill the lettuce boats with the kielbasa mixture and top with some yellow mustard.
Kale
Southwest Kale Salad
Kale Pesto
Kale, Pear and Brie 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.
South West Kale Salad
7-8 leaves of kale, roughly chopped
2 ripe avocados, diced
1 /2 cup black beans
1 cup tomatoes
1/4 cup red onion
1 /2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
Dressing
1/4 cup Olive Oil
Juice from 2 limes
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 clove of crushed garlic
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
Salt and Pepper
In a large bowl combine all of the salad ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk together the oil, lime juice, spices, garlic and mustard. Pour dressing over salad and, 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.
Kale, Pear and Brie Salad
1 Bundle of Kale, roughly chopped
2 Pears, cored and diced
1 Bundle of green onions, roughly chopped
1 Small wheel of Brie cheese, cut into cubes
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix together with the dressing.
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.
Garlic Scapes
Scape & Lemon Compound Butter
Garlic Scape Storage Tips:
Store garlic scapes in a resealable bag in the fridge. They will last up to two weeks.
Scape & Lemon Compound Butter
1 bundle of garlic scapes
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup soft butter
Salt and Pepper
In a food processor add all the ingredients and blend together. With a rubber spatula scrape the butter mixture out and onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form the butter mixture into a rough log shape and wrap the plastic wrap around shaping the butter. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap to tighten the package. Place in the freezer to keep. When you want to use the compound butter remove from the freezer 10 minutes before using. Slice a coin off the butter and serve over grilled meat or potatoes.
Salad Booster Microgreens
Microgreen Storage Tips:
Store microgreens in the fridge in the original container. If stored properly, these greens will last up to a week from the harvest date.
Microgreens are a immature plant that is harvested after only 10 days of growing. They add great flavour and colour to any dish. On top of that they are the easy nutrition on the go.
