Roots and Shoots Farm - 11th Week of CSA Food 2011

The contents of this week's CSA basket from Roots and Shoots Farm is quite mainstream by most people's veggie shopping standards.

The focus this time is to get the more delicate and well-ripened produce used up in the early days - the cut lettuce, cherry tomatoes. Plus the melon.

The Napa cabbage is heading to a coleslaw for our contribution to this weekend's street party. I hope coleslaw sells on this street because that head will make a very big batch.

Roots and Shoots Farm provided a wonderful recipe called Easy Garden Curry. If I go for it, then there is the home for the jalapeño, cherry tomatoes, some potatoes, some onions, some garlic, a pepper, some beet greens and some carrots.

The mister is a radish fiend but will they all go snack bound? It is a VERY big batch. We have not ventured past the raw nibble on these. It is time to get more creative.

Thankfully onions, garlic, beets, carrots and potatoes store well.

I am getting the feeling that the recipes this time around need to take a slant towards going to the freezer. We love, love, love soups and these are great ingredients to end up in the pot.

How are things going with your local foods? Are you enjoying the harvest? I would love to hear about your cooking adventures and also your challenges.

Now check out this week's basket. Local, seasonal, organic, full of flavour. Did I mention beautiful?


Cut lettuce


Napa Cabbage


Cherry Tomatoes and ground cherries


Onions


Potatoes


Carrots


Beets


Garlic


Celery


Radishes


Cucumber


Green Pepper


Red Pepper


Jalapeño


Watermelon

Someone asked me once if I get paid to write posts for the farm. I don't. I am a happy CSA member in our second year with this program. I write about Roots and Shoots Farm out of love. The love of sharing the good news of using a CSA basket as a food source. The love of sharing the visuals of great certified organic food. The love of sharing new and different recipes using our new and different food.

We have developed a great respect for Robin Turner and his team. We have grown to trust them to keep our dining room table healthy and full.

If you want to learn more about the farm, the contact information for Roots and Shoots Farm is:
ROBIN TURNER
robin@rootsandshootsfarm.com
www.rootsandshootsfarm.com
613.897.8975

LCBO Food & Drink Magazine - Autumn Issue 2011

As I sit outside on this brisk, cool day dashing through the pages of the Autumn issue of the latest LCBO Food & Drink magazine, I have to agree with Jody Dunn in her Editor's Notes, "Comfort food starts to beckon...".

This particular issue is stuffed full of comfort food. But it does hang on, like we are doing, to summer day menus too. After all, the markets are probably at their prime, overflowing with baskets of colourful produce.

Lucy Waverman's Market Menu plays on the idea of making your meal based on what your trip to the market presents. I myself compete 'black box' style every other Thursday when my CSA basket arrives. It can be daunting but the outcome is worth it. You are constantly eating what is best of season. Consider the challenge for yourself.

Thanks to James Chatto for showcasing 4 power women in the Ontario wine industry in Keepers of The Vine. This summer, we had the opportunity to check out Caroline Granger's place of work, The Grange of Prince Edward Vineyards & Estate Winery, Prince Edward County. We are definitely fond of her 'bubbles'. The sparkling rosé was featured at the Cooks & Curds Cheese Gala at the 1st Great Canadian Cheese Festival in Picton in June.

My page markers this issue are eclectic:

• Pumpkin 'Ravioli' Tossed with Bacon & Parsley (From Pumpkin Made Easy by Heather Trim)
• Deep Fried Olives (From Olive Cuisine by Lucy Waverman)
• Tomato & Fresh Cheese Salad with Basil & Olive Salsa Verde (From Market Menu by Lucy Waverman) **
  
• Southern -Style Pulled Pork Pies with Buttermilk Biscuits (From Savoury Pies by Julia Aitken)
• Toasted Almond & Quinoa Pilaf and Cashew Chicken Curry (From Nutty Delights by Nicole Young)
• Pan-Roasted Ontario Pickerel (From Inn Style by Anita Draycott & Monda Rosenberg)
• Sesame Ginger Meatball Soup and Individual Caramel Fondues with Ladyfingers and Fruit (From Soup & Sweaters by Jennifer MacKenzie)

Do try those Pumpkin 'Ravioli'. Using wonton wrappers is a cheat I employ all the time when in a hurry. Many won't even notice the difference. All the focus will be on 'homemade'.

** Those beautiful tomatoes featured in the Tomato & Fresh Cheese Salad with Basil & Olive Salsa Verde on page 104 come from Vicki's Veggies Farm, located in Prince Edward County. I can vouch for their fabulous taste. This summer we grew one of her plants. Yellow Perfection. We are rolling in beautiful, flavour-packed sunny yellow tomatoes. We used some of our early ripeners in an heirloom salad that was a true kaleidoscope of colours. Vicki's Veggies Farm sells their produce at the farm but also at farmers' markets in Toronto.

In Inspired Ideas by Brenda Morrison, two things caught my eye:

• The Savoury Bouquet showcases the talents of Michael Pellegrino, florist designer and co-owner of Teatro Verde in Toronto. They are beautiful organic centerpieces that are functional as well as good looking.
• Flavours & Flair shares the good news that Montreal's Olive & Olives in now in Riverdale in Toronto. We picked up some of the Manzanilla Olives Stuffed with Lemon on a recent trip to Montreal's Jean-Talon Market.
  

I always seem to be in love with the playlist. This time Rick Shurman and Earl Torno 'set the mood' with The Autumn Playlist. It's working for me with such numbers as Someday by Harry Connick, Jr., The Way You Look Tonight by Maroon 5 and I've Got You Under My Skin - a Rod Stewart rendition. Have to have it? Check it out on iTunes.

Plan ahead: The Holiday issue hits the stores 9 weeks from today on Wednesday, November 9th.

Wheely Slow Cooking Tour Concert and Potluck at Roots and Shoots Farm

Tuesday evening Roots and Shoots Farm and Waratah Downs Organic Farm jointly hosted a potluck and provided a concert venue for the cross-Canada Wheely Slow Cooking Tour.

Singer songwriters Shera Kelly and Julia Spitale are from Vancouver. They have rounded out the trio with Jessica Gates, a freelance video producer who is documenting the tour.

How do they describe the Wheely Slow Cooking Tour?

"Two crazy musical gypsies from the city are touring Canada July 25 - Sept 17, 2011 in support of sustainable farming by performing, cooking and volunteering on farms. On the blog you can watch their interviews with the farmers and footage of the adventure!"

It was no surprise that Roots and Shoots Farm of Manotick Station co-hosted with Waratah Downs of Iroquois. They are both very committed to organic farming. Roots and Shoots was recently certified but Waratah Downs has been certified since 2000.





Colleen shared her remarkable organic corn. Waratah Downs is the only farm now growing organic corn in the area.





We were one of the early arrivals but eventually the tables were groaning with delicious dishes from the participating guests.



Once the crowd settled with their first helping, I managed a shot of my Greek Salad with Mini New Potatoes. This 2006 LCBO recipe by Marilyn Bentz-Crowley was shared with me by a special foodie friend, BS, who has been tearing it up in the kitchen Ramsay style lately. No fear. He just goes for it.



For my dish I used produce from my latest CSA basket. The peppers. The red potatoes. The cucumbers. Some of the garlic.

Although the bowls were just about licked clean, no one went away hungry. The mint Nanaimo bars were a particular hit with Julia Spitale.



Thanks to our great hosts for this special event.


Robin Turner, Proprietor and Farm Manager at Roots and Shoots. (Loving the organic corn!)


Jess Weatherhead, Farm Manager at Roots and Shoots. (Talking to Jessica Gates, freelance video producer from the Wheely Slow Cooking Tour team.)


Danny B, Expert Veggie Farmer at Roots and Shoots.


Colleen Ross, Owner of Waratah Downs Organic Farm. (A farm she works with her husband, John Weatherhead.)

Thanks to the wonder of science and many extension cords, Julia and Shera gave a full post supper show, sharing their own brand of music that had us thinking Lilith Fair. Some heartache. Some country. Some personal insights. Some cheeky, clapping and toe-tappin'.









The skies threatened.



And did 'sweat' for a moment.



But we managed to stay dry enough for the show to go on.



Shera Kelly's 'Cowboy Vagabond', is a song she wrote at the request of her father, is still humming away in my brain. Take a listen.



And here is a taste of Julia Spitale with her song, 'Simple Life'.



There were no organic marshmallows for the post concert bonfire, but we gathered anyway to dry out, enjoy the warmth of its glow and share a poke at the branches.



One strong impression for me from the evening was realizing how glad I am to be hitched to a CSA farm that is organically certified. There are many local farms selling local produce. But few are organic. Many still use the pesticides we are trying to get away from. Last summer when we began CSAing, I was originally just looking to shop 'local'. Our choice to go with Roots and Shoots Farm was random. We saw their ad at Bridgehead and they had shares available. I realized on Tuesday, that I now know I want more than local. I want organic too.

And so ended another great night on the farm. Food. Music. Community.

Best of luck to Julia, Shera and Jessica on their trek back West.

Simple Yummy Breakfast Thanks to The Locals

More often than not, our mornings start with a simple breakfast. Dairy, fruit, grains and if we can a protein. I like a soft boiled egg. Sometimes it is just a breakfast parfait and a Flat White.

I have a little white dish that, if full to the meniscus, wouldn't hold a cup of liquid. It is my favourite because of its simplicity. Because it is wee and because it is cute.

I start with a few spoons of plain yogurt. Right now we are enjoying Organic Meadow. It comes from Guelph, Ontario and can be found at Farm Boy and major grocery chains. It is a co-operative that has been operating for over 20 years. "Every time you purchase an Organic Meadow product, you are choosing to directly support small, local family farms." Of the over 100 farmers participating in their co-op, two of them have crossed my life path.

• Deb Vice of Birchwind Farm was two years ahead of me in school while I was growing up. In a small town, a two year age spread was insignificant. Everyone knows everyone. Deb has a beautiful farm on the Oak Ridge Moraine near Solina, Ontario where she and Ron have over 40 Holsteins.

• I first met Maida Edwards when she was 4 years old and knew her growing up on her family's farm near our home. It is hard to believe she is now a mom and working her own farm, Edwards Holsteins, near Westport.

Organic Meadow has done a wonderful job on their website profiling their participating farmers. Whether there is a personal connection or not, getting to know the people that make our food does affect our buying decisions.

I then load it up with fresh fruit. My favourite is bananas and raspberries.

Then I crown it with a sprinkle of granola. Right now we are enjoying one of our favourites - Siren Bakery. The flavour - Orange, Almond & Ginger. Siren Bakery is made locally here in Ottawa by Loreli Lees. She prides herself in making her product high fibre and low in sugar.



Because of my wee bowl, the parfait stays single-layered. It is the perfect portion. Almost too pretty to eat.



As for my coffee, well, I HAVE to have it. The day just doesn't move forward much without it. I like it strong. I usually take my dose in the form of a Flat White. Or at least my attempt at a Flat White. A Flat White is essentially 1 part espresso shot and 2 parts microfoamed milk. Confession. Usually a richer milk. Maybe even a milk with a bit of cream. End of confession.

I start with my favourite bean. Babae's Espresso bean from Happy Goat Coffee Company. Like butter tarts, I will be searching the world over for the best espresso bean until the day I die, I am sure.



Always searching. I suppose the compliment in all of this is that I keep returning to the Babae's Espresso bean. For two reasons. I like its strength. It is in my ballpark. But the flirty part of Babae's Espresso beans is that it has a consistently thick crema. I can seem to get good crema even when I mess up my shot.



My favourite Flat White cup holds a 2 oz espresso shot and then fills with closer to 6 oz of microfoamed milk. So more like a 1:3 ratio. There are days when I think I should throttle back on the white stuff and try to be more authentic. Perhaps I should just buy another favourite cup!



And there starts my day. Thanks to some locals.

It's Hard to Eat Out With This Kind of Eating In

Lunch today was yet another version of our favourite warm summer pasta dish.

Our wonderful produce from Roots and Shoots Farm makes it easy to pull it all together. This time, we used the following items from our last CSA food basket - garlic, red scallions and red Russian kale.

As well, our Yellow Perfection tomato plant from Vicki's Veggies Farm near Picton is full of bounty and added bursts of bright, sweet, sunny tomato flavour.

It's hard to eat out with this kind of eating in.



Heirloom Tomatoes, Red Russian Kale, Scallion, Garlic, Pesto Penne Pasta
Serves 3

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 red scallions, diced (include healthy parts of the greens)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili flakes
2 red heirloom tomatoes
5 yellow heirloom tomatoes
10 leaves of red Russian kale
salt to season
150 grams penne pasta (my favourite dry pasta brand is Barilla)
1/4 cup pesto
3/4 cup of parmigiano-reggiano, grated
shavings of parmigiano-reggiano
toasted pine nuts

Prepare the ingredients. Dice the scallions. Mince the garlic. I used my preserve from the fridge that is sitting in olive oil. Chop the tomatoes. Remove the stems from the kale. Rough chop the kale leaves. Grate and shave the cheese.

Prepare the penne pasta until el dante. When it is drained, return to the pot and keep the lid on to keep it warm until the sauce is done.

Heat oil in a fry pan. Sauté the scallions until soft. Add the minced garlic and chili flakes. Continue to sauté for another 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes. When the tomatoes have warmed, add the chopped kale. Sprinkle with salt. Add a bit of water to the pan to help steam the kale if there does not appear to be much liquid from the tomatoes.

When the kale has just wilted and cooked, remove the pan from the heat. Make sure you do not over cook the kale. The kale should be limp but still be a bright green.

Put the pesto on the pasta and stir to cover. Add the vegetable sauce to the pasta and stir. Add 1/2 cup or more of the parmigiano-reggiano to the pot and stir.

Serve in warmed pasta bowls. Sprinkle with parmigiano-reggiano and toasted pine nuts.



Roots and Shoots Farm
1004 Manotick Station Road
Manotick, Ontario
robin@rootsandshootsfarm.com
Website: www.rootsandshootsfarm.com
Facebook: Roots and Shoots Farm
Twitter: RootsShootsFarm

Vicki's Veggies
81 Morrison Pt Rd
Milford, Ontario
613-476-7241
Website: www.VickisVeggies.com
Facebook: Vicki's Veggies Farm
Twitter: VickisVeggies

Creamy Veal Scallopini Marsala with Local Veggies

The mister has been a super rock husband lately and so I decided that Monday's dinner would have a bit of fuss and fancy. The veal dish is quite easy as was preparing the sides. But I am not going to tell him that. We rounded out are meal with a glass of Amarone.

There is a sense of contentment that comes from using local produce in the summer. Just knowing it is fresh, fresh, fresh.

I dipped into our Roots and Shoots Farm CSA basket in order to make this meal work.


The purple, yellow and green beans create quite a colour statement. However, when they are steamed, the purple beans turn a dark shade of green.


Our veal marsala recipe uses garlic as well as shallots to create extra flavour in the mushroom sauce.


I had no idea what to do with these sexy zucchinis when they came in the basket. I lightly steamed them, cut them in half and then sautéed them to give them a bit of brown and a nutty butter flavour.


I used the brown skinned potatoes for this dish. Peel, roasted, tossed in olive oil, seasoned with salt, pepper and fresh thyme and then into the oven at 375F for about 45 minutes. When roasting potatoes, I use my 9" x 9" stoneware pan. When there is just two of us, the big roasting pan is too much. The stoneware gives the potatoes a unique crisp.


The small selection of carrots were quartered lengthwise and roasted along with the potatoes.


With just a few tomatoes left, they became the last garnish on the plate.

Where do you get your veal scallopini? My veal scallopini came from the Glebe Meat Market on Bank Street in Ottawa. I usually just go there for their 1/2 litre bags of housemade stock - beef, chicken, vegetable, turkey and veal. I am curious to know where others shop for their veal scallopini. Have you found a favourite?

Creamy Veal Scallopini Marsala
Inspired by Canadian Living, Epicurious and The Food Network

3/4 lb veal scallops, pounded very thin
flour for dusting (salt and pepper incorporated)
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp butter
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 tbsp shallots, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cups veal stock
1/4 cups Marsala
1/2 cups heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley (optional)

Once the veal scallops are pounded very thin (using flat side of meat cleaver between 2 sheets of waxed paper), dust veal lightly with flour mix.

In large skillet, heat oil with 1 tbsp of the butter over medium-high heat. Cook the veal for about 1 minute on each side or until lightly browned. Remove and set aside. Continue until all the veal is done.

Melt remaining butter in skillet and sauté the mushrooms, for about 3 minutes or just until tender. Let them sit in the pan in order to get colour and caramelized edges. Too much moving will prevent this from happening. Add a little more butter if needed. Remove the mushrooms and place with the veal.

Add the shallots and garlic to the pan. Cook until softened, usually less than a minute. Stir in the veal stock and Marsala. Reduce by half. Add any juice that has accumulated around the veal and the mushrooms. Add the cream.

Reduce again to thicken slightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the veal and mushrooms back to the pan to reheat through. If using, sprinkle with parsley and stir in.

Makes 4 servings.