Gardening in April

Before this year, I always thought of the May long weekend as the start of gardening season. This year after reading that you can start to plant some things as soon as the dirt is workable, I did alittle gardening in March.

It turns out that it was a little early for peas and spinach - or was it the fact that I didn't water them?
Luckily, I didn't use all the seeds - so here goes round two of planting peas and spinach.

But my onions are sprouting! 3 or 4 inches out of the ground. I can't wait to eat them!

- Lauren

Gardening in March?

Over the years, I have slowly been improving my vegetable gardening skills and knowledge.  Mostly I have learned from trial and error.  So far its worked out well for me.

Last year we built two raised gardens.  I like the concept of raised beds for a few reasons:

1.  Ascetically I think they are neater.  You don't have to worry about weeding around the edges, grass creeping in etc.
2.  It prevents you from walking on the soil which means that its not all packed down - this means that things can grow easier.  It makes pulling weeds easy too.
3.  Since you aren't walking in between rows of plants, you are leaning over and you can plant things closer together.  I have loosely followed the 'square foot gardening' ideas.

After some planning about what to plant this year, I learned that you can plant a few things as soon as the soil is workable.  They will survive with minimal frost.  This week I planted onions, spinach and peas.

Some of my perennials from last year include: chives, garlic, strawberries, sage, oregano and thyme.  It looks like parsley made it through the winter which is rare.  I don't think my rosemary made it.  I also planted some asparagus last year, so we will have to see if it came back - although it will be a few more years before we get anything to eat.  Other food in the yard includes: rhubarb, mint, raspberries and cherries.

Anyone else started playing in some dirt yet?

- Lauren

Cooking With Squash

I have about 6 squash sitting on my counter - different types: butternut, acorn, sweet potato squash and a jamboree pumpkin. I have never used the last two types before but from what i have learned so far about squash is to cut them in half, remove the seeds and roast in the oven. These types are interchangeable (in my mind) in recipes, they might change the taste slightly but the recipe will still work.

The easiest way I find to eat them is after roast

ing in the oven, add some butter, brown sugar or maple syrup and puree. Easy and delicious.

Alittle more strenuous is to make soup. My favourite is Roasted Butternut Squash soup from the Rebar cookbook. I have had many different types and they all turn out pretty good.

A new one

for us this summer was eating spaghetti squash - while roasting the squash, we sauteed onion, garlic, peppers and tomatoes (and pretty much anything in your fridge) and then added the veggies to the squash and mixed with goat cheese. Its hard to believe you aren't eating pasta.

I had never baked with squash or pumpkin before, all the recipes I have seen call for canned pumpkin puree but I substituted with fresh roasted and pureed. My latest project was to make some muffins (also from

the Rebar Modern Food Cookbook).

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk ( I used 1 cup minus 1 tsp of milk and 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar for a substitute )

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree ( I used some leftover pureed acorn squash)

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup millet (I used ground flax seeds)

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup unbleached flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger (I omitted this as I don't really like ginger)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

-mix wet ingredients together

-mix dry ingredients together

-mix wet and dry together - do not overmix

-fill muffin cups (i made 12 large and 12 small)

-bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

I think next time I will probably also add some chocolate chips

If you have any favourites - let us know, I love trying new things!

Where do you look for new recipes? websites? cookbooks? friends? blogs?

-Lauren

Home made Spring Rolls

Each week our siblings in Waterloo try to get together and hang out - the item on the agenda is always eating. This week we made spring rolls.

We had deep fried ones, which consisted of a pork/crab/vermicilli noodles/lots of other stuff since I wasn't paying attention and my brother was adding stuff as he goes instead of following a recipe. He then pan fried them in oil and then continued to cook them in the oven until the meat was fully cooked.

We also made a vegetarian fresh roll with spinach, mint, green onion, sprouts, noodles, mango, green pepper and I'm probably forgetting something.

We ate both with a peanut dipping sauce (which my husband added extra hot sauce to his portion)

They were great, I wish I had made more fresh rolls because I think they would have been great the next day. And when I make them again, I think I will try smaller and the fresh ones tighter.

Have you tried to make anything new lately?

Our CSA season is over

You may remember that we (Leah and Lauren) joined Stevanus Farms CSA(community supported agriculture) which you may have read about it here. The season is now over, it was a fantastic summer, we ate at home more, ate more vegetables and ate things we wouldn't normally buy. Its a little sad that its over - although it will probably take a few more weeks to get through the remaining veggies.

Through out the summer, we have frozen a lot of veggies (green beans, peas, zucchini, beets, and fruit) so we are curious to see how much of it we eat. We have high hopes that we will be able to get through all the frozen food. (and that the food we have frozen will bring us the joy of summer in a meal)

Another thing is that we are going to have to start grocery shopping again - all summer all we bought was basically meat and dairy. Rarely leaving the store with more than a handful of items. It will definitely be harder to shop in the grocery stores again... peppers from Mexico, and spinach from Peru just doesn't seem appealing anymore. We have definitely been spoiled with such amazing produce.

Overall, it has been a totally worthwhile, and budget friendly experience. Check out the CSA's in your neighbourhood, it is beneficial for the farmers, as well as for you and your family

Any suggestions for eating locally over the winter months? Or recipes to try with our abundance of squash?

-Lauren and Leah

Brownies

Wherever I go I am always on the lookout for brownies. Even if I am not in the mood for dessert at a restaurant, I will still look at the dessert menu to see if there are brownies on it - and then proceed to ask questions about them - to see if I should get them anyways or make note to come back later specifically to get try them.

I have eaten ALOT of brownies, and there are only a few that I think are worth mentioning.

#1 - boxed brownies, made at home. I have tried recipe after recipe and I always come back to this one.

the rest, in no particular order:
-two bite brownies from the grocery store
-starbucks espresso brownies
-brownies from the cafe infront of the candy store in tobermory - get them warmed up. (its worth the drive)

some runners up
-Leah's in-laws family homemade 'mint brownies'
-'skor brownies' from Nougat Bakery in kitchener
-brownies from LPK's Culinary Groove where my sister-in-law works as a baker.

saying all this, since its zuchinni season, I found a new recipe to try which is zuchinni brownies, I don't have high hopes, but it does seem like a new way to eat my millionth zuchinni this month!
Turns out they are more moist cake-ish, they didn't go to waste but probably won't make them again.

Also I tried a frozen brownie snickers ice cream sandwich this weekend - and it was great!

If you think there are some brownies out there that I need to try - let me know - and I am willing to travel!

-Lauren

Community Supported Agriculture

I am so lucky enough to live in an awesome community where I can receive so much of my food from LOCAL farmers. When buying local food, not only does the produce, meat, cheese etc... taste a thousand times better than anything I would find in a grocery store, it is often picked the morning you buy it AND you support local farmers!! 

This is the first year my sister Lauren and I  have participated in a Community Supported Agriculture program. Lauren and I decided to get a full share amount of food (enough for a family of 4) and split the food between the two of us. It worked out to be approx $20 each for the week of produce which is delivered right to my door.

A bit of background on a CSA:


(Taken from Stevanus Family Farm's website:)

"Community Supported Agriculture farms develop a partnership between the farmer and those who consume their food. Our customers purchase a share in the harvest and are treated to the fresh, all natural, locally grown vegetables which are delivered to your door each week. [The farm] receive[s] the start up capital necessary to purchase seeds, supplies and soil amendments."

Today was our first week receiving our box of produce and we were not disappointed

Check out our loot:

Along with the veggies, we received a newsletter with recipes, and a description of the food and how to cook it (a few of the vegetables I have never cooked with, and I'm pretty excited to try them out!)

Have any of you cooked with white radishes, pak choi or garlic scapes before? Have you tried a CSA?

- Leah