My CSA Experience 2013 - A Year in Review

Regular readers will know that I have been a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) half-shareholder with Roots and Shoots Farm since they began their operation in the summer of 2010.  Much has changed over the past 4 years.  For them and for me.

They began with an acre of land and 60 CSA shareholders.  When I talked to Jesse Weatherhead at the Ottawa Farmers' Market this past Sunday, she said they are now using 10 acres and have 250 CSA shares representing approximately 280 families.

At the end of year two they acquired greenhouses.

They also put in an irrigation system - a saviour during the drought of 2012.

Robin and Jesse bought a house near by. No more trailer living for them.

They have a refrigerated truck and better storage for keeping the produce after harvest, both short term and longer term.  The produce coming to us is more consistently high quality and also well cleaned.

They implemented a swap box system a few years back to allow for trades.  Sometimes you just don't want another two quarts of zucchini. I used it once when it was first implemented when I was tempted by a beautiful red cabbage.  I take my basket 'as is' as a show of support for learning to use what the harvest provides.

This past season they introduced a vacation policy.  If you gave appropriate notice, you were allowed to forgo as many as three baskets without losing out.  The credit goes towards next years share.  In the past, if we were away we arranged for a friend to pick up the basket and enjoy it on our behalf.  We used the vacation feature for one of our weeks this summer. This was nothing short of a miracle with how our summer plans unfolded.  Getting to the CSA pickup location on our day is a constant challenge because of that active schedule.

There is now an online farm store for their shareholders.  This allows us access to other products all year round.  I have used it to buy extra garlic and to also purchase meat.  Roots and Shoots Farm raised chickens this year and they also have an arrangement with another farm for organic beef.  This feature is very handy when I am not able to meet up with them at the local farmers' market to augment my basket.  I like that I can still get staples like onions, potatoes, carrots, beets and squash even though the CSA shares have ended for the summer.

In year 4, Roots and Shoots Farm extended the season from 16 weeks to 18 weeks.

The farm has established a Fall share program.  We did not use it last year or this year.  Although we were very much interested, we wanted a break from 'pickup deadline' since we have another crazy fall schedule. Their fall share program runs for 8 weeks from the end of October to mid-December and means pickups every other week.

Robin and Jesse extended their growing season into the winter in their third year.  In fact they were recently recognized by the provincial government with the Premier's Award For Agri-Food Innovation Excellence for their innovative winter greens program.

Roots and Shoots Farm is now certified organic, a status not so common in the Ottawa area. Many say they use 'organic practices' in their farming.  It is not the same.  Roots and Shoots prices in the marketplace are also on par with their local non-certified organic competitors.  It is a premium to me to have certified organic produce.

Roots and Shoots Farm have set land aside since year one to grow food for the food bank.

Communication has improved year after year.  In year one, I knew what would be in my basket when I lifted the bin lids at my pickup location.  Now they send us a weekly newsletter a day or two ahead of my pickup where they list the upcoming share content, suggested recipes and the latest farm news.

This is the kind of farm we have hitched our wagon to and we feel so fortunate. As a CSA shareholder, how could I not be happier?  As a seasoned shareholder, I am definitely a lot more comfortable with the concept than when I first started.  But I still have woes.

When I sign up for my share in the winter, I have no idea what my summer plans might hold.  Who will be living here? How much will we be traveling? Can we expect a slew of visiting house guests?

Having a CSA basket coming in the house every other week needs people to eat it.  This continues to be a roller-coaster ride for us.  With the darling son away at university for the summer and the mister traveling constantly with work, there were many days when I was the only person at the dinner table.  I am not a 'tea and toast' eater when I am going solo but I don't always crave a full on, pull out the stops meal.  Many invitations out to with others for dinner meant that sometimes the count went from one to none! Often the volume was overwhelming and I was looking for ways to preserve what I had received or trying to create dishes that could be stored for later. For someone who likes to live in the moment, that created pressure to be organized.

If we were traveling for the weekend, getting the basket on Thursday evening had its challenges.  There was limited time to do anything with it before we headed out.  When visiting family or friends I brought my food with me and thankfully it was well received. This wasn't an option when we were hoteling.  Gah! The pressure.

The first baskets of the season contain the most tender of greens.  Ideally you want to eat them right away. At least in the first day or two.  That gets tricky if we were away or there was just me here.  Tender greens aren't the easiest thing to 'preserve'.

The food in the basket is preset.  If I had plans to make a dish that week that did not include anything provided in the basket, it likely wasn't going to happen.  Focus was always on how to use up the CSA share in a timely way.

Being a CSA shareholder is hard work to use it with care and try not to let any of it go to waste.  Sometimes it means I am cooking whether I want to or not.  I often felt 'behind' and that meant less exploring with new recipes than I would like and more reliance on the tried and true, just to 'get er done'. Recipes I knew that were already crowd pleasers. Despite that, there has been a lot of playing.

Over the 4 years I have become more relaxed with it all.  I do have a larger repertoire of recipes for using my veggies. Some borrowed. Some created. I have been more successful with my food storage to maximize how long my produce will last.  I have become better at preserving my extra food if I can't use it all in time.  And I have hosted more dinner guests (friends and neighbours) to help eat up the bounty.  I definitely know my neighbours better. Good food unites!

Some food highlights for me:

I loved how often we received herbs in our early baskets.  If I had a chance, I picked basil each and every time.  And I turned it into basil pesto just about each and every time.  Some might have considered the bunch too small to bother but pesto is easy to make and also easy to freeze.

I received some gorgeous eggplants.  I don't recall getting eggplants before. Wonderful for curries and also baba ghanoush.

I loved how often we received beets.  I can't get enough of roasted beets and enjoyed them constantly in salads, usually serving them up at dinner parties. In fact, I loved roasting them so much I didn't do any pickling this year. Yet.

I loved  how often we received cucumbers.  This was the summer of tzatziki for us.  We also had Danish cucumber salad often too.

Have I mentioned the garlic?  I received 8 heads of garlic.  They were all beautiful, big and perfect.  They are all gone. I still have 50 heads of garlic from other farmers stored away in my cool, dry basement to get me through the winter.

I don't mind radishes but I was fine that I only received them once.  They are not my favourite to eat in volume.

No cabbage.  The farm had a problem with their field of cabbage.  No napa. No green.  No red.  I missed not having cabbage.  But I get that being a shareholder means sharing in the risk as well as the glory.  I did buy red cabbage from them at the most recent Ottawa Farmers' Market at Brewer Park.  They just didn't have enough to give out in their shares.

The carrots were awesome! So were all the onions and potatoes.  I love getting plenty of the basics.

I received many tomatoes. Give me more tomatoes and I would be over the moon!

In closing, you might be wondering after all my angst, will I sign up for year 5.  Yes. Yes, I will. Take another look at my 8 CSA baskets and you will see why I find that such an easy decision.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Roots and Shoots Farm - 18th Week of CSA Food 2013

It is always with a bit of sadness when we go to pick up our last Roots and Shoots Farm CSA share of the season. Week 18 came so quickly and that was two weeks ago already.

BASKET CONTAINED:
1 quart of Carrots
2 quarts of Potatoes - a mix of Chieftain and Russet
1 Butternut Squash
2 Acorn Squash
1 bunch of Leeks
2 Cooking Onions
2 Garlic
1 pint of Parsnips
1 bunch of Broccoli leaves
1 quart of Beets
1 bunch Swiss chard
1 Rutabaga

Much of of the preparation of this share was very basic. Often just roasted to have the beautiful produce accompany some special meals. As you will see, the dishes speak to the change in the weather.  More comfort food and food to that can be stored in the freezer for another day.

The carrots were roasted with two meals - one was a prime rib roast dinner.  The other was a roasted chicken (Roots and Shoots Farm chickens) dinner.

The Chieftain potatoes were roasted for the prime rib dinner.  The russets were used with the leeks for a scalloped potato recipe to which we also included sweet potatoes, bacon and onion.

The butternut squash went into homemade butternut squash ravioli.  After roasting the squash, I mixed the pulp with a bit of cream, maple syrup, finely diced sauteed onions, sage, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

 

The acorn squash was roasted for the chicken dinner.  Since it was a dinner party, we used both.  A dinner we called Christmas in October. The squash were roasted with a bit of butter, brown sugar, salt and pepper.

The onions were used in French Onion Soup.

The garlic was used in our ubiquitous garlic shrimp pasta dish.

The parsnips were roasted up for the prime rib roast dinner.

The rutabaga was used in the big vat of beef stew.

The broccoli leaves and Swiss chard was chopped up and put in the freezer for another day.

The beets are still in the fridge.  They are not big and will be sweet when roasted.  There is a nice selection of colours too.  It may not be imaginative, but I bet they end up in a roasted beet salad.  We never tire of this dish.

They say they have learned a lot over the last 4 years. I can say that I have too. Thank you Roots and Shoots Farm.

Roots and Shoots Farm - 16th Week of CSA Food 2013

This is my Roots and Shoots Farm CSA basket heading into Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is a holiday where my people count on the traditional favourites.  It might be risky business to mess with those expectations.

The onions typically go into the stuffing and the giblet stock.  The carrots, acorn squash and potatoes get roasted with a minimal of extra flavours. They have their own earthy taste in the mouth.  Together on the plate they need to share the stage, complement the other and of course, go well with gravy!

I could get away with turning that kohlrabi into slaw again, if I can find a decent Northern Spy.  The garlic won't make it to the end of the week, since it's a daily staple.  I patiently wait for those green tomatoes to take colour.  They will.  The leek has already been set aside for soup.

But kale for Thanksgiving would be something new. We've never had kale for Thanksgiving before.  Have you?

BASKET CONTAINED:
1 Bunch of Red Russian Kale
1 Bunch of Dinosaur Kale
1 Quart of Carrots
1 Quart of Chieftain Potatoes
2 Delicata Squash
1 Acorn Squash
1 Bunch of Leek
2 Cooking Onions
Kohlrabi
1 Garlic
3 Green Tomatoes
1 Bunch of Hakurei Turnips

Roots and Shoots Farm - 14th Week of CSA Food 2013

We are almost done this last Roots and Shoots Farm CSA basket as we are just days away from getting the next.  It was an exciting basket because of all the great colour. We have been enjoying some delicious dishes. I have a few pictures from my smartphone to share with you throughout the post.

BASKET CONTAINED:
4 leeks
1 bunch of Swiss chard
6 green tomatoes
2 ripe tomatoes (I took one red and one yellow)
1 head of garlic
1 quart russet potatoes
1 bunch beets (I picked a bunch that included red, golden and candy cane)
1 kohlrabi
1 quart carrots
1 bunch of kale
2 acorn squash
2 red onions

The leeks and Swiss chard went into a Martha Stewart recipe - Leek and Swiss Chard Tart.  It was a lot of work.  We enjoyed it best when it was first made.  We didn't think the leftover reheated that well.  I would consider making this again but playing with the ingredients a bit.  The mister suggested adding bacon.  Let's not be surprised. I appreciated making a pâte brisée again.  It is not my regular crust.

Danny was emphatic that the green tomatoes would stay green.  I am glad they defied him.  All 6 of them turned red over the week before we ate them.  I turned them into a tomato salad with a few of their yellow cherry tomatoes that I picked up at the market.  They were tossed with some chives and a dressing of Kricklewood Farm's sunflower oil, Temecula Olive Oil Company's California Balsamico Bianco vinegar, salt and pepper.

The two ripe tomatoes were used in an heirloom tomato salad along with other heirlooms I bought at the market.  We make this recipe each September and I blogged about it here.

The entire head of garlic went into our favourite Garlic Shrimp Pasta dish.

The russet potatoes were used in a mashed topping for the Shepherd's Pie. It sure isn't a pretty thing to photograph when it hits the plate!

The beets were roasted and used in a salad with goat cheese, Spicy Maple Pecans and mixed greens.  By now you know we love that salad and make it a lot.

The kohlrabi was made into a matchstick slaw along with an Empire apple, celery and CSA carrots.  The dressing I used was adapted from Bobby Flay's Creamy Coleslaw dressing.

The carrots we used for lunches with other raw veggies for munching, in the Shepherd's Pie and in the kohlrabi slaw.

Still outstanding are: the kale, the two acorn squash and the 2 red onions.  The squash and onions can keep for quite a bit. The kale will become a salad or I will put it in the freezer for a future dish.  Frozen it will still be fine in a soup or quiche.

I think overall this basket can be declared a success.  We had a number of dining out experiences mixed in with the home cooking that has made managing the fridge a bit tricky.  We are striving to use all of our basket and to use it well.

Roots and Shoots Farm - 12th Week of CSA Food 2013

Any guesses on the weight of my latest CSA share from Roots and Shoots Farm?  I didn't put it on the scale, but I can tell you it was HEAVY. Even without that gorgeous watermelon.

The basket came on Thursday, just as we were getting ready for a quick trip to Montreal which was just before the mister headed back to his work away from Ottawa.  The darling son has been absent for many dinners too and so it has been up to me to make a dent in this great food.

I have to tell you, I am getting pretty overwhelmed.  I've decided that the squash can keep for a bit as can the potatoes.

The garlic is long gone. As are the onions.  Red peppers and zucchini became filling for omelettes.  Red peppers and carrots were also used raw in the darling son's work lunches. I have used the tomatoes in guacamole and mile high tomato sandwiches.  I have had a few cucumbers and carrots as raw snacky foods too.

Slowly I am getting bites into this great basket but I feeling intimated.  I don't want to waste any of it or let it go bad.

I am seriously considering switching to a Wednesday pickup location just to give myself another day ahead of the weekends to get a handle on it all. We have been away for many weekends this summer and it is messing with my CSA basket food plans.  When I have been visiting in other people's homes, prepared food has been coming with me but this plan doesn't work so well when it comes to hotel getaways.

How are you coping with your basket?

BASKET CONTAINED:

2 peppers (I chose red)

5 small zucchinis

4 cucumbers

2 quarts of tomatoes

1 head of garlic

kale

2 white onions

carrots

watermelon
2 delicata squash
6 potatoes
purple basil
cilantro
bunch of greens

Roots and Shoots Farm - 8th Week of CSA Food 2013

This summer my CSA shares from Roots and Shoots Farm has been feeding guests here at home but also traveling.

My company on Friday night dug into a pesto pasta dish with a medley of vegetables (onions, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, garlic).

My company on Saturday shared in our Mediterranean Zucchini Salad in Pita Pockets (zucchini and tomatoes).

With the mister away, I have also had many summer jaunts out and about to visit others. I try to bring prepared dishes to share the bounty, but also to be a contributing guest.

This past week I traded a night's stay in my brother's fabulous 5-star guest room for homemade Tzatziki (cucumbers and garlic), a Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese (beets) and Vikram Vij's Eggplant, Tomato, Green Onion Curry (eggplant and tomatoes) with basmati rice.

It is proving to be another beautiful CSA share.

BASKET CONTAINED:

3 peppers

2 zucchinis

6 cucumbers

pint of tomatoes

head of lettuce

2 heads of garlic

kale

2 white onions

carrots

eggplants

beets

What are you making fellow vegetable lovers?

Roots and Shoots Farm - 6th Week of CSA Food 2013

Week 6 pick-up just passed and I received my 3rd CSA basket for the season.  You won't have trouble agreeing with me that this is Roots and Shoots Farm's best basket yet.  It wins on colour alone!

 

BASKET CONTAINED:

5 peppers

5 zucchinis

2 cucumbers

pint of tomatoes

head of lettuce

garlic

Swiss chard

basil

bunch of onions

carrots

eggplants

 

GONE ALREADY:

basil and garlic - you guessed it. I made pesto.

carrots - ate them raw as snacks

lettuce - in three different salads

tomatoes - in salads

garlic and one cucumber - tzatziki

PLANS BEING CONSIDERED:

Zucchini, peppers and some of the onions are going into Mediterranean Zucchini Salad in Pita Pockets.

Swiss chard is undecided but a friend of mine tried this recipe.

Eggplant is headed to baba ghanoush. I have my eye on this recipe. It will be hard to let him go.  He's so good-looking.

Roots and Shoots Farm - 4th Week of CSA Food 2013

As a half share participant, my second CSA basket from Roots and Shoots Farm had more hits of colour.  A sign that the season is moving along.

This particular week's share included:
4 cucumbers
a bunch of red onions
beets
head of lettuce
kale
mixed greens
2 zucchini
basil
garlic scapes
hakurei turnips

ORGANIC FREE-RANGE CHICKEN!
I bought a chicken from Roots and Shoots Farm and they were delivered frozen with our share this week.  I chose a smaller one.  It is 3.89 lbs. Quite the charmer.  Regular readers know I like to name my chickens before they hit the oven.  Unless I get a better offer, this one will be called Charles William George Esquire.

I MET THE INTERN
Kelsey is working at Roots and Shoots Farm for the summer.  With the pick-up being extra busy with chickens, she was on hand to help Danny ensure things went smoothly.  Kelsey says she is having a great summer.

SPECIAL TRICK FOR STORING BASIL: One of my best experiences of this share was my basil.  It kept beautifully. My trick this time was to cut the stems just before placing the bunch in a mini vase.  I then put a bag loosely around them but fully covering the plant right to the base of the vase.  Then into the fridge.  I picked up my share on Thursday and made my pesto on the Monday.  It looked like it had just been picked.  No brown spots.  A fluke? I don't know. But I am going to try that again. When I get basil, I do try to use it right away as it is one of the more delicate herbs.

UPDATE ON BASIL STORAGE (July 0, 2013):  I just came across this post on The Kitchn regarding storing basil. It seems Emily Ho is also a 'bagger'. As you will read in the comments, opinions are varied.  I stored mine in the fridge.  I will try the counter next time.  I think the trick is to keep moisture off the leaves whatever technique you use.

BEST THING THAT IS HAPPENING IN THE KITCHEN THIS SEASON: I am using the tops on my beets and Hakurei turnips.  My favourite way to use them is to wilt them into my pasta dishes.  If you don't think you will use them right away, wash them up, dry them and then store them in the freezer in a ziplock bag with the air removed.

SOME WAYS I HAVE USED MY PRODUCE:
We used the salad and mixed greens right away over the first two days.  The mister said repeated after each bite how fresh the head of lettuce tasted.  He was right.  It was noticeably different than what we can normally get in the store. 

I ate one of the cucumbers as a snack and the other 3 went into a Danish Cucumber Salad that I brought to a potluck.  I was thrilled to have 4 cucumbers in the share.

The onions were used for grilling and also in a pasta dish.  That pasta dish also included scapes, beet tops and my basil, which was turned into a pesto (using more scapes).

The zucchinis were grilled as well.

My scapes have contributed to pasta dishes and anytime I've needed garlic, like when I made pesto.

Do you want to try kale in a salad?  I love the kale salad at Supply and Demand on Wellington Avenue.  It will remind you of a Caesar Salad.  They have been kind to share the recipe.

Stuck for what to do with hakurei turnips? This tasty appetizer works well for happy hour snacks.

What are you making with your CSA basket?

Roots and Shoots Farm - 2nd Week of CSA Food 2013

As Season 4 of Roots and Shoots Farms' CSA food basket program gets underway, I am feeling like an old hand.  We have been members since year one.

Roots and Shoots Farm is located south of Ottawa and has been certified organic for a few years.  In addition to the CSA shares, they also sell their produce at local markets around the Capital.  I will sometimes buy from them at the Ottawa Farmers' Market - either the location in Westboro or at Brewer Park.

My pickup location is at the Mountain Equipment Co-op in Westboro.  Roots and Shoots sets up a produce stand for walk by shoppers.  This week it included bunches of Jess Weatherhead's beautiful organic flowers. Normally Danny is cheerfully greeting us as we roots through the bins but this time we had Robin Turner himself, the owner of the farm.  The Beatnik van plastered in psychedelic murals has been replaced by a larger, slick looking refrigeration truck.

Typically a pickup takes just a few minutes, but as we get to know each other, we stop to enjoy a friendly chat.  This week I ran into an other veteran, Lesli.  By the time we swapped recipes, food inspirations, and updates on our own home gardens, I am sure the mister figured I had stopped in somewhere for dinner.  We covered it all. Strawberries, canning, tomatoes, garlic, kale, cookbooks and probably a bit more. It made my day.

One of the biggest challenges with having a CSA share is the uncertainty.  It isn't until the last minute that you find out what will be filling the fridge.  Most of us shop with a predetermined grocery list. What used to be so stressful, is now just something we are taking in stride.

Our first basket is not dissimilar to our first one last year, though a wee bit smaller because of a cold, wet past few months.

But what we did receive was high quality and well developed.

This week's basket included:
Cucumber (two)
Lettuce
Kale (I chose curly leaf)
Swiss chard
Spring onions
Herbs (I chose basil)
Radishes
Hakurei turnips

Tonight we used our radish tops in an open galette, baked on the BBQ.  A few years ago, ignorant of their goodness, radish greens would have ended up in the compost.  Today, I use them like I would spinach.  In fact, the greens were substituted into a recipe that had originally called for spinach - Spinach and Feta Galette found in the latest issue of the LCBO Food & Drink magazine.

With the radishes all tidied up, the mister will be munching on the red buds. A favourite snack.

The bunch of basil was used in a Margherita pizza.  First, some went into the sauce.  Then a number of fresh leaves were laid on the pizza when it came off the grill, as a finishing garnish.

Tomorrow I am making a kale salad.  I have said many times how much I enjoy the kale salad created by Chef Steve Wall at Supply and Demand.  He was gracious enough to allow the recipe to be published.  I just hope I can do it justice.  Jen Wall says the trick is to put in lots of time massaging the leaves during preparation.

And on it will go. Before long, we will be shopping at the markets to fill in until the next basket arrives.

Are you a CSA member? What are you doing with your food basket?