August 25 veggies

That's it: fall is definitely in the air. Don't be sad that summer's coming to a close, get excited that harvest season is ramping up! Warming soups, tasty casseroles, and root veggies for roasting: there are some who would call this the best time of the year. Here's what's on your plate this week.

Full share:

:: zucchini or summer squash

:: tomatoes

:: green pepper

:: cucumbers (including a Boothby's Blonde!)

:: leeks

:: potatoes

:: head of garlic

:: beet

:: kale and Swiss chard

:: peas or beans or Brussels sprouts

Half share:

:: tomatoes

:: cucumbers

:: baby zucchini or summer squash

:: leeks

:: potatoes

:: kale

:: head of garlic

Leeks! They're one of the gentlest members of the onion family, and, paired with those beautiful potatoes you have there, make one of the most classic soups there is. If you don't have a recipe for leek and potato soup already, you'll find one in almost every cookbook, and about a bajillion on the internet. The simplest recipes call for only butter (about 3 tablespoons), leeks (cleaned and thinly sliced, white and green parts only), water, and potatoes (peeled and chopped). Usually you use 1 1/2 times as much potato as leek, so if you chop your leeks and get 1 cup, use 1 1/2 cups diced potatoes. For that amount I would use about one litre of water, and it would serve two people.

If you want to bolster your recipe with onions, shallots, garlic, white wine, different kinds of stock, cream, chopped herbs, whatever, go right ahead. Serve it cold, serve it hot, whichever you prefer. Traditional leek and potato soups are blended to a creamy consistency, but with these beautiful new potatoes, I would be tempted to leave the skins on and slice the potatoes into quarter-rounds. Kind of irreverent, and the soup wouldn't pass muster in a French restaurant, but I wouldn't want to compromise those buttery, beautiful spuds.

Oh, and you'll want to get your leeks really clean before you cook with them. They are grit-magnets. And nobody likes gritty soup. A lot of people just rinse down between the layers, but that tends to waste a lot of water. A better way is to slice your leeks (save the green tops for stock or some other use), place them in a large bowl, cover them with lots of water, swish them around and leave them about ten minutes. The dirt will settle to the bottom, and the leeks will float. Skim your clean leek slices off the top and use the water for your garden or your houseplants. No waste, and clean, tasty leeks!

Cabbage rolls

If you still haven't figured out what to do with your frozen cabbage leaves (or any other cabbage leaves), there's a recipe for cabbage rolls over here.

August 18 veggies

Another week, and more delicious fresh veggies. The greens and reds and oranges sure looked beautiful against the grey (but very necessary) rain today. Here's what's in your bag:

Full share:
:: potatoes
:: zucchini
:: beets
:: Brussels sprouts
:: carrots
:: cucumber
:: jalapeno
:: tomatoes
:: snap peas
:: shallots
:: mint
:: basil
:: spicy salad mix
:: peppergrass

Half share:
:: yellow zucchini
:: blond cucumber
:: peppergrass
:: shallots
:: jalapeno
:: beet
:: potatoes
:: tomatoes
:: mint


Now, there's a good chance you're wondering what to do with peppergrass. It's not commonly eaten here, but it's a tasty green that is delicious in salads. There aren't a lot of recipes floating around that use it, but here's one interesting one for veal escalopes. If you're lucky enough to know where to get wild mushrooms (people I know are picking chanterelles all over the place) then you could have a really lovely time with it. If you don't eat veal you could certainly use turkey cutlets, and if you're a vegetarian I'll bet the sauce - mushrooms, butter, peppergrass, white wine and all - would be really nice tossed with some egg noodles or over rice. I've never seen a recipe that calls for wood ash before. I think I'd probably leave that optional ingredient out.

And aren't the Brussels sprouts wonderful? When I was growing up in St. John's, Brussels sprouts came frozen in blocks and were a yellowish grey by the time you cooked them. I remember one Thanksgiving dinner when a young guest declared, "I don't like them big peas!" The Brussels sprout is the U.K.'s most despised vegetable, according to polls. I don't know where it stands in Newfoundland, but at my house Brussels sprouts are well loved, even by the five-year-old. Of course, they have to be fresh, and lovingly steamed just to doneness, not a smidge more. In case you're interested in something beyond steaming, there's a recipe here for beautiful, golden-crisped sprouts (my other favourite way of cooking them), and another here for Brussels sprouts cooked with shallots and juniper. I haven't been out to see if the juniper berries are ripe yet, but if you have some around then you're just a few ingredients away from something that I think would be very tasty. I, unfortunately, won't be able to try the recipe out this week because, ahem, I ate all my Brussels sprouts already. But if you try it, why not leave a comment here and let us all know how it turned out?

Happy eating!

August 11 veggies

Look at all that wonderful bounty! Here's what you should be enjoying this week:

Full shares
:: 1.5 kg potatoes
:: zucchini
:: cucumber
:: tomatoes
:: peas
:: Sturon onion
:: rainbow chard and kale

Half shares
:: 600g potatoes
:: zucchini
:: taxi yellow tomato
:: cucumber
:: Brussles sprouts
:: half cabbage
:: kale
:: onion

For some people, that hint of fall in the air on an August morning means nothing good, but for farm types, it means that the harvest season is coming in full force. Nothing signals the beginning of harvest time like the first, thin-skinned new potatoes. Just look at these beauties:

If you're saying to yourself, "my, they sure left a lot of dirt on these potatoes," well, it's partly to help protect the delicate skins, which rub off easily, and partly so that you can have the pleasure of rinsing your spuds and watching the beautiful red-purple emerge from underneath the layer of good, black soil. The colour fades as the potatoes cook, so take a moment to appreciate it before it's gone.

Most Newfoundlanders will hardly need to be told what to do with potatoes, but just in case you're at a loss, you should know that new potatoes don't need much embellishment. There's no sense peeling them, as the peels are barely there to begin with. Steam them or boil them whole and enjoy them with butter or a drizzle of olive oil, a good shake of salt and a grinding of pepper. Or cut them in half and roast them with some oil and some chopped herbs.

If you've ever read a recipe calling for "waxy" potatoes, these are they. Potatoes fall into two categories: waxy and floury. Waxy potatoes have thin skins and hold their shape well when boiled. Floury potatoes, like russets, are thick-skinned, and are best for French fries, mash, fish cakes, that sort of thing. New potatoes shine in chunky potato salads. If your usual potato salad is of the mashed-to-a-paste variety (don't be ashamed, mine is, too), then maybe one of these variations might oomph things up, and befit a potato of such late-summer magnificence.

Another way to enjoy your tasty new potatoes is on the barbecue. Who knows how many good barbecue days we have left (I know, I know, sad thought). One great way to do it is to clean your potatoes - select the smallest ones, or cut larger ones into golf-ball-sized chunks - and pat them dry, then wrap them, with a glug of oil or a good brushing of butter, some salt and pepper, and chopped herbs, maybe some minced garlic if that's your fancy, in a layer of thick aluminum foil. Fold your foil packet securely and place it on the barbecue for 20 to 25 minutes. Done!

Happy eating!

August 4 veggies

As the weeks go on, those bags just get bigger and heavier, don't they? And more intoxicating, too, with the basil and tomatoes and, for the full share crowd, sweet and musky blackcurrants. More about those in a minute. Here's the breakdown for this week:

Full share:

• tomato & jalepeno & basil & dill & parsley & onion tops
• fava beans & snow peas
• Brussels sprouts or broccoli or guay lan or beans or chard
• half a Melissa Savoy cabbage or turnip or head of lettuce
• spicy lettuce mix
• beets (with tops)
  
• blackcurrants

Half share:

• tomato & cuke or zuke or pepper
• onion tops
• half a Melissa Savoy cabbage
• fava beans
• beet
• bonus: blanched cabbage leaves if you wanted them

The blanched cabbage leaves will be fine in the freezer for a while, or you can thaw them out right now and make cabbage rolls. There are a bunch of different ways to make cabbage rolls, as they seem to be an almost universal food. You can find a fairly mainstream Canadian recipe here, or just type "cabbage rolls recipe" into Google, preceded by "Greek," "Lebanese," "Southern," "Indian," "Russian," "Korean," or whichever ethnicity of food you love and there's a good chance you'll find something to suit your tastes. I think I might take my cabbage leaves and fill them with a rice and pine-nut stuffing, like in this recipe for stuffed vine leaves.

When I was looking for blackcurrant recipes to link to, I found out that someone had already done the job for me. If you aren't familiar with blackcurrants, they're very popular in Australia, New Zealand, and in Europe, but pretty much neglected here in Newfoundland (although they grow very happily all over St. John's). They're wonderful in a sauce for meat; because they're so assertive, they can hold their own with wild meat like moose and caribou (although they're lovely with a pork roast, too). They're often used for jams and jellies, and, indeed, the jelly they make is transcendent, especially when the blood-burgundy juice is bolstered with some spiced port. Beautiful for Christmas, if you can keep your paws off it that long. I, for one, will be using mine to make this Danish blackcurrant schnapps. I have a feeling it will go very well over ice cream for a boozy winter dessert (for the grown-ups only, mind you).

Happy eating!