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.

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. 

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!

Week 3: 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

These past two weeks have flown by and before we knew it, it was time to pick up our third basket from Plan B Organic farms. With the weather getting warmer we are getting more excited and curious about the possibile produce that we'll receive. Last week had a few surprises - some hits, some misses. I pickled the radishes (re: this post), discovered my love for green smoothies (coconut water + mango + pineapple + kale = heaven), however we are not (yet) fans of swiss chard. We tried it both raw and sauteed with garlic and the taste was just a bit too 'earthy', but maybe we'll find a future with it at another time (any suggestions?)! My mom picked up our basket this week while I was at work so I had to contain my curiosity until I got home, but there were definitely some exciting finds! Here is what's in our basket:

Vegetable Half Share

1 small bunch of romaine lettuce
1 bunch of fresh mint
1 large bunch of kale
1 English cucumber
1 small bag of shitake mushrooms
3 tomatoes (I forgot to photograph!)
1 punnet of strawberries
1 bunch of garlic scape

Fruit Share

1 bunch of bananas
1 bunch of green grapes
4 oranges
1 punnet of strawberries.

That's right, we got not one but TWO containers of local organic strawberries! I am beyond excited.

Their Potential

Use the strawberries and fresh mint to whip up some of this refreshing ice cream.

Make your own chinese takeout fried rice using kale and mushrooms.

Lighten up your lunch with a salad using strawberries, romaine and a poppyseed dressing.

Change up your breakfast by making some orange marmalade. 

Tomato, cucumber and mint combine to create a tasty and simple side dish.

Brush the garlic scape with olive oil and throw it on the grill (re: Plan B Organics Newsletter)

Both this and that recipe will give you minty drinks that are perfect for summer.  

P.S. Is it obvious that I'm really excited about the mint?

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.