Roots and Shoots Farm - Our First CSA Pickup!

I am living the experience of participating in my first relationship with a CSA farm. This farm, Roots and Shoots, started sharing its bounty yesterday afternoon. Perhaps I was bit too keen, as we were first to the pickup location and were witness to Danny unloading the fresh produce from the back of the truck. Our takeaway included one item from each of the bins.

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


Beautiful beets and succulent carrots.


A bunch of onions and then fresh cilantro and a small bag of peas.


Hakurei turnips and Easter egg radishes.


Bok choi bundled with tats soi and a head of red leaf lettuce.

Tonight we made a salad for part of dinner using the red leaf lettuce and an Easter egg radish, as well as a few sprigs of the cilantro. To that we added tomatoes, red pepper and red onion. The champagne vinaigrette was the perfect match.

We served the salad with grilled sausages from The Piggy Market at 400 Winston Avenue in Westboro. Tonight we tried two pork sausages - Beaus'Wurst and Maple Chipotle. They were delicious but pricey at $32/kg. A treat for sure at about $4.50 a sausage and only you can decide if your food budget can include them as regulars on your menu at home. We each had 1 1/2 sausages with our salad.

Tomorrow we have mapped out stir-fried bok choi with garlic, ginger and scallions to go with our Thai marinated roast chicken with lemongrass-peanut pan sauce. And I am hoping we can somehow incorporate the carrots too.

We still have lots of eats ahead of us with our quality fresh, naturally-grown, seasonal produce. Any ideas on what we can do with it all?

CHAMPAGNE VINAIGRETTE
Author: Patrick and Gina Neely from Down Home with the Neelys
Source: Epicurious - May 2009

1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 to 3 dashes hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Whisk together the garlic, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, hot sauce, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Alternatively, you can combine all the ingredients in a blender or a food processor and purée until smooth.

Yield: 3/4 cup