Week 10: What's in our Basket?

If you don't know what's going on with this basket stuff catch up here:
Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3 / Week 4 / Week 5 / Week 6 / Week 7 / Week 8

The leaves are changing colours, the air is getting colder, everything is pumpkin flavoured - fall is definitely here. This is our last basket from the summer season and based on its contents I can officially say summer is over! Every time we go to pick it up I am shocked by the amount of food we receive. I can't imagine getting a weekly full share because our biweekly half shares are always filled to the brim with delicious produce. The true mark of fall in our basket was with a giant butternut squash but there was also some confusion with these little, shelled, tomato-like items - which we later found out were tomatillos. We loved our basket so much that we've signed up for another one for the fall - and a holiday one too for Christmas, but I know, I know, too far away for excitement - however I won't be keeping up the regular basket blogs, unless they really stand out. With this basket I'm excited for veggie roasts, soups and more, here is what's in our basket:

Vegetable Half-Share:

2 red onions, a bunch of white potatoes, a butternut squash, head of lettuce, tonnes of tomatillos, one bunch of kale, on bunch of spinach, 5 turnips, 4 peppers, so many carrots and a bulb of garlic!

Fruit Share:

A bunch of McIntosh apples, one bunch of red grapes, 5 anjou pears, and 2 lemons.

Their Potential

Roast up those tomatillos for a delicious salsa verde.

The perfect autumn dish with maple, apples and what else, butternut squash.

Take a break from butternut squash soup and why not try this carrot-ginger version?

Kale and butternut squash combine to make this beautiful, sweater-weather tart.

Why choose between cake and pie when you can have them both in an apple-pie cake?

Three-tier candied-pecan cake with brown butter pears - get in my belly.

Summer is for grilling, fall is for roasting! Roasted turnips are my new thing.

Out & About: In the Orchard

Fall is now in full swing and I've got autumn recipe ideas bursting out of my head. In the summer one of my favourite things to do is go berry picking and lucky for me the fruit farms don't close up for another few weeks - it's apple picking season! The next couple weeks are full of school deadlines and I took a much needed break this past weekend at Chudleigh's apple orchard to pick my weight (and maybe then some) in apples.

The honey crisps (seriously the best apples ever!) and the McIntoshes are out, and Mom and I loaded up to get ready for some fall baking. The honey crisps are just for eating, but we're planning on making some apple butter, apple chips, apple sauce, and freezing some for future pies, crisps and other delicious apple desserts. Though Chudleigh's is best if you're bringing the whole family along for a day of petting zoos, picnics, and playgrounds, they do have a fantastic apple selection - but if you're looking for straight up apple picking, I'd stick to your regular ol' fruit farm, There will be plenty of apple recipes coming up on the blog in the next few weeks but if you're ready to start some baking now why not try out this delicious apple rhubarb loaf or these apple and oat scones, your taste buds will definitely stay happy.

Apple Oat Scones

Happy first day of fall! Even though technically it was yesterday I am celebrating today with hot cups of tea, snuggly blankets, cozy sweaters and everything pumpkin, apple and spice. School has been hectic and come October there will be even more to get done, but fall is my favourite season so I'm going to do everything I can to welcome it with open arms. These scones are perfect for just that. Our CSA shares have been filled with apples recently (and I know I didn't post Week 9, but it just came and went so quickly!) and the combination of oats and apples in Martha's scones were just perfect! Here's my version of the recipe:

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups of all purpose flour

1 1/3 cups rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed

1 1/2 cups diced apple 

2/3 cold buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix together the flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry blender (or two knives works well too) cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the apples and buttermilk just until mixed. On a lightly floured surface shape the dough into a large rectangle, about 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut the dough into 12 square scones and place onto the baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until lightly browned.

As with most baked goods, these scone are best served warm on the day of. They're moist, not too dense and have the perfect amount of apple and spice. 

Week 8: What's in our Basket?

If you don't know what's going on with this basket stuff catch up here:
Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3 / Week 4 / Week 5 / Week 6 / Week 7

September has been off to a busy start! I'm back at school once again and I can already feel my social life slipping from my fingers as I try to balance six classes, work, hobbies, the blog and not to mention making a few changes to my room this week! But! I am glad it is finally the weekend and even though I'll be doing some homework it's also TIFF - my favourite time of year. I'm seeing quite a few movies this year but still holding out until Monday when Meryl Streep will hopefully hire me as her personal assistant after seeing me go crazy at the red carpet (dream big right?). Anyways, our baskets our winding down in the next couple weeks and it seems they're packing them full of our all-time-favourites - more watermelons, juicy grapes, and corn on the cob! Here is what's in our basket:

Vegetable Half Share

1 bunch of romaine, 1 bunch of leafy greens, tonnes of potatoes, a few yellow tomatoes, 5 red tomatoes, 3 corn on the cob, 1 bunch of beets, 1 bag of salad mix, 1 mini watermelon, 1 English cucumber, 1 green pepper, 1 bunch of broccoli. 

Fruit Share

1 bunch of grapes, tonnes of apples, 2 oranges, 2 lemons, 1 mini watermelon.

Their Potential

Of course Mexican flavours would make grilled corn taste better, Mexican food is the best.

I love hummus and this beet and goat cheese variation sounds fantastic.

I really don't need to say anything more than this - lemon raspberry swirl cheesecake bars.

Grilled romaine is the hero in this balsamic and shrimp salad.

Apple provolone? BLT? These pizzas sound good to me!

Fall weather means fall soups! How a bout this tomato zucchini one for starters?

Baked apples scream fall (and an even easier way to make apple crisp).

Week 7: What's in our Basket?

If you don't know what's going on with this basket stuff catch up here:
Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3 / Week 4 / Week 5 / Week 6

I love fun sized things. Whether it be chocolate bars, toys, shoes (how cute are baby shoes), anything, the term fun size is literally fun - those little itty bitty things are just oozing with fun. Do I sound crazy yet? Bear with me. The farm must have felt my happy vibes from last week's mini watermelon because this week we got two! Two precious, baby watermelons that I can't wait to cut open and eat with a spoon. They are so easy to eat, and so refreshing - perfect for a summer snack. In addition to the fun sized melons we received a few other things in our basket this week that I am so excited about. Corn on the cob anyone? Here is what's in our basket:

Vegetable Half-Share

1 pint of cherry tomatoes, 1 bunch of kale, 1 bunch of romaine, 6 husks of corn, 1 mini watermelon, 1 bunch of green beans, 2 green peppers, so many potatoes and so many apples.

Fruit Share

1 mini watermelon, 2 large bunches of grapes, so many apples.

Their Potential

Swap fish and chips old friend, coleslaw, with this tasty kale slaw.

A great alternative to the classic potato, these apple chips are simple and delicious.

Focaccia bread takes grapes to a whole new level with the addition of walnuts.

Salty and sweet make this refreshing watermelon salad a winner.

This crostini takes you away from the usual pasta pairing.

I've said it before but grilling makes everything better, and I'm sure this watermelon lemonade is no exception.

Spice up your corn by grilling it and following this simple recipe.

Donuts are the new cupcakes, and these apple cinnamon donuts are where it's at.

Week 6: What's in our Basket?

If you don't know what's going on with this basket stuff catch up here:
Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3 / Week 4 / Week 5

With my family on vacation this week, I took advantage of the free kitchen and loaded up on my favourite foods by heading out to my local farmers market one morning to pick up a large supply of peaches and blueberries (two of my all time favourites). It's really easy for me to go a bit nuts at market stalls. I could easily walk out with way too much produce, just because "those tomatoes looked so pretty in the basket!" I tried to resist this time around knowing my share day was coming up and I'm glad I did, we got some real gems this week. The mini watermelon made me squeal with excitement, the basil made my nose happy and the plums got me brainstorming new dessert options! Here is what's in our basket:

Vegetable Half Share

1 bunch of basil, 3 yellow squash, 2 field cucumbers, 1 bunch of kale, 3 bulbs of garlic, 1 bag of salad mix, 1 large bunch of potatoes, 1 head of romaine, 1 pint of grape tomatoes, 1 bunch of green beans

  Fruit Share

8 plums, 1 cantaloupe, 1 pint of blueberries, 4 bartlett pears, 1 mini watermelon

Their Potential

If you've never grilled pineapple, do it, and make it into this great side dish.

Change up your taco tuesday and fajita fridays with this plum salsa.

This pasta pairs basil pesto and green beans for a fresher taste. 

I am firm believer that grilled food always tastes better, I'm sure this caesar salad is no exception.

Maybe this should have been a grill theme, this red potato salad is light and right up my alley.

This cake brings together a tried and true duo - blueberries and lemon.

Watermelon is one of my favourite summer foods, this soda float will definitely hit the spot. 

Plum halves make a delicious cake gorgeous.

Strawberry Rhubarb Oat Squares

Another trip to the cottage calls for more dessert! Since I had the afternoon off before heading up, I dedicated my time to whipping up some well deserved treats. Knowing I had rhubarb and strawberries in the freezer, I was looking for recipes that weren't pie but would still incorporate both ingredients. Having pinned plenty of strawberry recipes in June (in preparation for the picking season), I found this recipe on a Pastry Affair. Though the recipe calls for strawberry jam, I didn't want to use up my precious supply on squares so I substituted it with my beloved frozen fruits. It turned out great! We ate them as squares with tea, and also warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. It was the perfect pie replacement for summer - not to heavy, but still sweet-tooth-satisfying.

Ingredients

6 tablespoon salted butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup honey

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup chopped rhubarb

1 cup chopped strawberries

4 tablespoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray an 8 inch square pan with cooking oil. In a small saucepan on medium heat, add the rhubarb, strawberries and sugar and reduce until a jam-like consistency, stirring occasionally. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the egg and honey. Mix in the oats, flour, baking soda and cinnamon until combined. Press approximately 3/4 of the batter into the bottom of the pan until it is covered. Pour the strawberry-rhubarb compote overtop and spread evenly. Crumble the remaining batter on top until it is well covered. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

They are definitely best served warm, and if you're in cottage country hunt down some Kawartha Dairy Ice Cream and you'll be in heaven. I would also try this with blackberries, raspberries or apple - or all three for bumbleberry!

Week 5: What's in our Basket?

If you don't know what's going on with this basket stuff catch up here:
Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3 / Week 4

The humidity is gone (knocks on all the wood)! I hate being hot. The only thing that comes with being hot that I enjoy is the jumping into a lake to cool off - all the other things can leave me alone. That being said, most of my favourite foods (peaches! mangos! corn on the cob!) are more readily available in the warmer months so for now I'll dream of fall and just keep on chomping. Thanks to some commenters for week three's post, my recipe collection is expanding and I'm ready for some new possibilities! Most of the items in our last basket ended up either in a smoothie or on the grill, but I especially loved sauteing the sugar snap peas with the garlic - they have such a satisfying crunch. This week we're excited to see the beets and pears but are a little nervous of the avocados (I know everyone is "all hail the avocado" but we're not always feeling it). This week's was a big one, here is what's in our basket:

Vegetable Half Share

1 bunch of beets, 1 head of romaine, 4 yellow zucchini, 2 field cucumbers, 2 large tomatoes, 1 bunch of kale, 1 head of cabbage, 1 bunch of red potatoes, 5 garlic bulbs, 1 bunch of broccoli 

Fruit Share

2 avocados, 1 bunch of bananas, 4 navel oranges, 4 bartlett pears, 1 large bunch of white grapes

Their Potential

Jazz up a classic chip dip with this guacamole recipe.

These zucchini chips just look good, that's it. 

Take a rest from tortillas and make these buffalo chicken lettuce wraps.

Salad is no longer leafy thanks to this quinoa one featuring oranges and beets.

Staying hydrated is easy with this melon-cucumber-lime infused water.

Grilled pears for dessert? Yes. Grilled everything.

Cabbage for coleslaw may be typical, but this one is anything but. 

I've made similar ones before, but recently these banana blueberry oat muffins are where it's at. 

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry shortcake is my all time favourite dessert, no question. On most birthdays I've requested it over birthday cake, I've deemed it the perfect Canada Day dessert (red and white!) and if I'm ever asked for my opinion on what should be had, it's strawberry shortcake, always. So remember how I went strawberry picking a couple weeks ago? Well not only did we make some homemade jam, but we also had tonnes left over to freeze and use for future desserts - strawberry shortcake being one of them.

There are a few variations of this dessert, from layered cakes to mini angel food cakes but I decided on the classic layered biscuits - I'm also a big fan of individual portions. I first tried this recipe from Martha Stewart but it was a huge fail and I ended up with what seemed like gigantic pancakes. After scrounging through the internet some more I settled on adapting this recipe from one of my new favourite food blogs, Pastry Affair. They are dense and wholesome and were the perfect base for strawberries and cream.

Ingredients 

2 cups slice strawberries

1 tbsp sugar

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup white flour

1/4 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup cold salted butter

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup 2% milk (or half and half cream)

1 cup whipping cream

To start, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400 F. Sprinkle the sliced strawberries with 1 tbsp of sugar, and set in the fridge until needed. Whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and cut into the flour mixture until it is crumbly. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, vanilla and milk. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and combine until just mixed and a dough begins to form. Knead the dough together a couple times to bind it and then roll it out onto a floured surface. Cut 3-inch rounds using a biscuit cutter or glass and transfer to the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. While the cakes are baking, whip the cream using an electric mixer on high speed until firm peaks form. Wait for the cakes to cool slightly, cut the in half and layer with strawberries and whipped cream. There isn't much else left to say other than enjoy! I could eat these biscuits plain with butter or jam even, but of course everything is better with strawberries (and much better) with whipped cream. You could also try adding in some chopped rhubarb or diced strawberries to the biscuits for even more flavour. Excuse me while I go feast...

Week 4: What's in our Basket?

If you don't know what's going on with this basket stuff catch up here:
Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3

Another week, another basket! Bi-weekly shares were definitely the best plan for us - the weeks zoom by in between baskets and sometimes we haven't even used up all of the items! The hardest part of last weeks basket were the mushrooms, cucumber and garlic scape. In all honesty we had know idea what the scape even was until I received the Plan B Organics newsletter in my inbox. We just assumed it to be some crazy onion, which it pretty much is. We used it the same way you would garlic or green onions by chopping it up and throwing it in sauces or soups. Unfortunately the mushrooms were a forgotten item. I'm not really a fan of mushrooms and Mom is used to sautéing them with onions for steak, so it will take some recipe research (and branching out on my part) for us to find some other uses. The cucumber is another vegetable we're not crazy about but not opposed to either. Anybody out there have some cucumber recipes that aren't salad? Thankfully, the next couple weeks will give us another chance to try them out, here is what's in our basket:

Vegetable Half Share

1 garlic bulb, 1 English Cucumber, 1 bag of spring salad mix, 1 bunch of red Russian kale,  1 head of romaine lettuce, 4 tomatoes, 1 large bag of sugar snap peas, 1 bag of shitake mushrooms, 3 zucchinis, 7 potatoes.

Fruit Share

1 punnet of strawberries, 1 bunch of white grapes, 5 royal gala apples.

Their Potential

Instead of stuffed peppers why not try these zucchini boats using the garlic and tomatoes.

Keep things simple with these sautéed sugar snap peas.  

Step away from the green smoothie and bring on the pasta with this kale pesto.

Put that strawberry jam on these strawberry scones and oh man, heaven. 

This shitake mushroom brown rice will certainly jazz things up a bit.

After this week's heatwave, nothing sounds better than a white grape sorbet.

I'm a sucker for bread, and these garlic zucchini focaccia buns make me weak in the knees.

It may be another salad, but it's got a good crunch with sugar snap peas and cucumber.

Note: Excuse the different lighting in each picture - the sun kept hiding behind the clouds!

Homemade Strawberry Jam

Homemade jams are one of my biggest weaknesses. I don't need crackers, toast or ice cream to enjoy them - just hand me a spoon and the jar and I'm going to town! After picking strawberries this past weekend, we couldn't let them sit for too long before they would start going bad. Since Monday was a holiday we took the time to make some strawberry jam. Though many jam recipes online don't use added pectin, I find that without it the jam has a runnier consistency than I prefer. Pectin is a thickening agent that comes naturally from fruits, and you can buy it in packets dried. We used Certo Light because we were comfortable with the brand, but also wanted to use less sugar. To make 4-6 small jars of jam from your freshly picked strawberries here's what you do:

1. In a large bowl, crush the strawberries with a masher, in layers, until you have 4 cups.

2. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar and an entire packet of pectin and let rest for 30 minutes.  After resting, add 3 additional cups of sugar and stir continuously for 2-3 minutes.

3. Fill the empty jars with boiling water.

4. One by one, empty a jar of the water and fill with jam until there is 1/4 inch of space from the top.

5.  Seal the jars with the lids.
6. Rest for at least 24 hours before keeping in the freezer. The jam will keep for up to one year. 

Enjoy it whatever way you like to use jam, but I'll be grabbing my spoon and trying to make this last longer than a few months! You can also try adding a little bit of vanilla extract or ground cinnamon, to give it some extra flavour.

Note: if you use regular pectin and not a light version you'll need to double the sugar

Out & About: Strawberry Fields Forever

Though I was working most of the weekend, I was thrilled to have the Saturday off so I could head up to my Poppy's cottage for a relaxing day. My grandparents are very "homestyle" people, and my Poppy in particular prefers almost everything to be homemade - especially jam. Every summer they head out to pick berries - strawberries at the beginning of the season, blueberries near the end - and make everything from jams to pies to crisps to everything in between. After a nice lunch,  my mom and I headed out to the nearby berry patch to pick our own. It had been awhile since my last berry pick, so I needed a few reminders on how to get the most out of our time.
Here are my tips:

1. Know when to go.

Keep up to date with your local farm's fruit seasons. The end of June and beginning of July is usually the best time for strawberries (go now!). This way you can be sure the berries will be ripe, but not completely picked through.

2. Bring your own baskets.

You'll be saving a lot of money picking your own berries so you may as well save some more by bringing your own carriers - whether they're previously used berry baskets or old ice cream containers - anything will do.

3. Wear pants, closed shoes and sunscreen. This may seem obvious but as a person with a tendency to be barefoot, I always need this reminder. You'll be in the middle of a field, walking on hay, in the summer - there'll be bugs, mud, and sun - so protect yourself!

4. Pick berries that are plump, fully red, and firm, close to the stem. Yellow-ish coloured berries won't be fully ripe and you'll be disappointed with your fruit. Berries that are darker in colour can be too soft, and often go bad quickly. Be a gentle picker.

We plan on making classic strawberry jam out of ours (recipe post to come!) but I also plan on freezing some for smoothies, pie fillings and other desserts as well as keeping some fresh for my favourite, strawberry shortcake.

Week 2: What's in our Basket?

We are now in week two of our CSA share from Plan B Organic Farm (if you're asking yourself "Week two of what? A CSA? What Basket?" you can refer back to this post to catch up!).  After a challenging couple weeks of experimenting with different ways of cooking some unfamiliar produce, we are very excited to try again with our new basket. Last time, our most challenging item was the kale. If you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed my attempt at kale chips - assuming I made them correctly, I am not a fan. Though we didn't knock that one out of the park we did enjoy the bok choy - grilled, with a simple lime vinaigrette - and it has become a new favourite vegetable in this house! The other produce was incorporated into our meals in a few different ways, and some were just snacks. This week's basket holds some of the same items as our previous one, but also includes the addition of some vegetables we have never used before, or even sure we like! Here is what's in our basket:

Vegetable Half Share:

1 bunch of romaine lettuce, 1 bunch of swiss chard, 1 (very large) bunch of kale, 1 small bunch of green onions, 1 bunch of asparagus, 1 bunch of radishes, 4 small potatoes, 1 red bell pepper, 

5 small tomatoes.

Fruit Share:

1 bunch of bananas, 6 oranges, 5 royal gala apples, 1 large bunch of grapes. 

Their Potential:

A twist on baked potatoes using the potatoes (obviously) and swiss chard.

Use the asparagus in a creamy baked risotto.

Stuff red peppers with kale using this healthy recipe.

With this salad, orange and kale compliment each other.

Add to your condiment collection by pickling the radishes.

Try making a grown-up grilled cheese with the grapes.

Add a treat to your tea with these banana scones.

What's in our Basket?

About a month ago I was doing some research on the farmer's markets available in my neighbourhood and the kinds of opportunities available for community gardening, since my housing situation doesn't

Source

have much of a yard. I spoke to a friend who used to have a small community plot, and they told me about how they used to have baskets of fresh produce from a local farm delivered straight to their doorstep every week. This got me excited. After a quick google search I discovered the wonders of Community Supported Agricultural and signed our family up for a share. Basically, we have paid for a share of a local organic farm's harvest over the next four months (we've signed up with Plan B Organic Farms). It helps us to not only eat seasonally and organically but also support our local economy and community.

We signed up for a bi-weekly half share and fruit share - meaning every other week we will receive 8-10 helpings of vegetables as well as 3-5 helpings of fruit. I like to think of it as a produce loot bag. We don't know exactly what we'll be getting, and we'll have to figure out how to use it, but that just gives us the fun challenge of recipe experimentation! Every other week I'll be sharing what comes in our basket and the recipe potential for the items included. So without further ado, here is what's in our basket:

Vegetable Half Share:
1 bunch of kale, 1 bunch of asparagus, 6 small potatoes, 1 English cucumber, 1 head of live Boston lettuce, 1 bunch of parsnips, 1 bunch of fresh oregano, 5 small bunches of bok choy, 1 bunch of green garlic

Fruit Share:
1 bunch of grapes, 1 small bunch of bananas, 3 valencia oranges, 8 royal gala apples           

Their Potential:

This green smoothie using the kale, bananas and cucumber.   

     

An Asian inspired salad using the bok choy. 

Follow these steps for dried oregano and store in a mason jar for extended use.

Use the parsnips and substitute the rutabaga for the potatoes in this root roast.

A take on this frittata recipe using the green garlic and asparagus.

Make either this or that apple crisp using the royal gala apples.