Marc and the staff are working hard to grow and harvest every bit of goodness from our fields. Some crops are coming to an end, while with others, it is a race to get them to mature before the end of the season. With the shorter days and cooler nights, we seem like some crops look like they have stalled. When that happens we give a helping hand by hoeing and adding extra irrigation to get them moving again. Luckily we have so many beautiful options for your last 4 baskets.
Here is what you can expect this week:
Bartlett Pears – Considered number 2 pears with slight imperfections. Bartlett Pears are one of the most common varieties in Ontario, considered a classic. These have slight surface marks, otherwise perfectly good cut up or for canning. Nice size, sweet green skin that turns yellow when fully ripe. Some rather eat them hard and crunchy, Bartlett’s have a slightly buttery flavour.
Tomatoes – Beautiful mix of heirloom tomatoes.
Komatsuna – A Japanese leafy green also known as mustard spinach with a tender, mild flavor and a crunch when eaten raw. It is a variety of Brassica rapa, like turnips and napa cabbage, and is a traditional ingredient in Japanese cooking. Komatsuna is nutrient-rich, high in vitamins A and C and calcium, and is versatile in the kitchen, perfect for salads, stir-fries, soups, and pickling.
Green Beans – To prepare, take a handful at a time, drop the beans into the rapidly boiling salted water. Bring the water back to the boil as quickly as possible, and boil the beans slowly, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes; test the beans frequently after 8 minutes by eating one. To jazz them up, toss drained/rinsed/dried beans with a bit of olive oil (or avocado oil) and your favorite seasonings. You can add crushed whole seeds (coriander, cumin, fennel, mustard, etc.), woodsy herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage), red pepper flakes, crushed garlic cloves, and of course salt and pepper.
Collard Greens – Here is a quick, simple way to enjoy as a side dish:
- Cut the thick central ribs out of the collard greens, and stack the leaves on top of one another. Starting at one end, roll them up into a cigar-liked shape, then slice across the roll to make skinny rolls of collard strips. Use a sharp chef’s knife for this, and make your slices as thin as possible—ideally about 1/8-inch wide. Give the collards a few extra chops to break them apart.
- Warm a large, heavy-bottom skillet (cast iron is great) over medium-high heat. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil (the oil will later help your body absorb the nutrients in the greens). Then add the greens and some salt. Give the greens a good stir so they’re all lightly shimmering from the oil and turning darker green.
- Let the greens cook against the pan in 30-second intervals, stirring in between. Thanks to the hot oil in the hot pan, some of the collards will eventually develop crisp, browned edges—these taste so good!
- Once you see a little browning action, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. I suggest adding the garlic at this point, rather than before, because otherwise it’ll burn by the time your collards are done.
- Transfer the collards to plates so they stop cooking. Serve with a wedge of lemon, and you’re done.
Mixed Hot Peppers – You can use fresh hot peppers by adding them raw to dishes like salsa, or by cooking them by roasting, grilling, or stir-frying to enhance their flavour and texture. For longer-term preservation, try dehydrating them into flakes or powders, pickling them in brine, freezing them whole or chopped, or fermenting them to make hot sauces. Other ideas include making infused oils or spirits, or even creating spicy jams like cowboy candy.
Herbs de Provence – A mixture of herbs commonly used in French cuisine, though the flavour also pair well with Mediterranean cuisine. This is another collaboration between the gardens of Rumar Farm and our partner, Joanne Moore. You will get this mix in a small paper bag and we suggest you keep them in there to dry your supply. Tie the end of the bag closed being sure not to crush the herbs as you do, and poke a few holes in the bag for ventilation. Your herbs may be dried and ready to store in as little as one to two weeks. When dry, remove leaves from stems, crumble and store mixture in an airtight container.
Enjoy.
