CSA produce pack

For two summers in a row now we have shared a fresh produce pack with some friends. Every week we get a banana box full of seasonal vegetables, fruit, eggs and bread from a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) called Dave's Produce Packs. We split it between us, since full box would definitely be too much for our household of 2. The cost of the box ranges from $40 to $50 a week, which we split. It has been so great to have local, organic produce in our fridge all season. I usually only buy a few extras from the grocery store - meat and dairy products and treats, etc. to supplement our summer diet. I recommend finding a CSA near you and getting in on the local food action! There are more and more farmers who are selling directly to the customer rather than trying to go through grocery stores. It's cheaper for them and gets us, the consumer, in touch with the hands that make our food.

Next spring we hope to plant our own garden (in our new backyard!) so we may forgo the produce pack next year, but we have thoroughly enjoyed it these past two summers.

We get weekly emails telling us what seasonal produce to expect that week, including pictures of the farm and the crops, and what extras we can order such as boxes of blueberries or organic meats from partnering farms.

As the seasons change, so do the meals we create with our weekly pack! It has been interesting to discover new ingredients such as garlic scapes and kale, which encourage creativity in meal planning. I've discovered the fabulous taste of fresh garlic! It turns out the garlic we get in stores is dried and I find it has quite a different taste.

Here is an example of what we received in a recent produce pack:

Brussel Sprouts

Fresh garlic

Onions

Potatoes

Zucchini or cucumbers

Celery

Carrots

Tomatoes or Eggplant

Basil

Peppers

Red Free Apples

Free Run Eggs

Whole wheat and honey bread

Throughout the summer we have received so many different types of vegetables and fruits - all types of berries, lettuces and herbs, as well as swiss chard, radishes, beets, cabbage, broccoli, kale (LOTS of kale) and even purple potatoes! There is always some funky stuff, like these different types of tomatoes:

As more and more people become aware of how far most of our food travels to get to our table, for example strawberries come from California and avocados from Mexico, the desire for locally grown food is growing. It tastes better since it has been allowed to ripen, and usually contains fewer chemicals (since it doesn't have to survive a cross-continental road trip). Not to mention that when we buy produce from halfway around the world our money is going to huge food corporations instead of to NB farmers :) If you go to the Kingston Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings, or to the occasional Queen Square Farmer's Market, you will see crowds of people deciding that local is best.

If you are interested in receiving a produce pack, here is Dave's contact info: davesproducepacks@gmail.com

For more information on other CSAs, here is a great website if you are looking for local food providers in New Brunswick.

http://www.conservationcouncil.ca/Local-Food/

No-bake Blackberry Cheesecake / Gâteau au fromage avec mûres (sans cuisson)

My mom and I went blackberry picking today.
So juicy and delicious! After getting scratched (by the blackberry bushes) and bit (mosquitoes) I came home with almost 4 litres of beautiful blackberries. We had a family supper tonight and I decided to make a dessert using my fresh berries. Here is the recipe.

If you want to go out and find some of your own, look on roadsides and near railroad tracks. You can look for cascades of white star-shaped flowers in the early summer, then go back in late August to find big, juicy black berries.

Maman et moi sommes allées cueillir des mûres aujourd 'hui... tellement juteuses et délicieuses! Après avoir été graffignée (par les mûres) et piquée (par les moustiques) je suis rentrée avec presque 4 litres de belles mûres. On a mangé en famille ce soir et j'ai décidé de faire un dessert avec mes baies fraiches. Voici la recette.

Pour cueillir vos propres mûres, cherchez le long des routes, et des chemins de fer. Au début de l'été regardez pour des buissons pleins de fleurs blanches en forme d'étoiles, et retournez en fin août pour y trouver de belles mûres noires.

No-Bake Blackberry Cheesecake Recipe

This is an easy and delicious dessert with the lightness of cream and tanginess

of fresh berries. One of my favourites.

Un dessert très facile à faire et si délicieux avec une crème légère et le bon goût de baies fraiches. Un de mes desserts préférés.

Crust / Croûte

1 1/4 cup graham crumbs / 1 1/4 tasses miettes de graham

1/4 cup melted butter or margarine / 1/4 tasse beurre ou margarine, fondu

1/4 cup sugar / 1/4 tasse sucre

Melt butter and mix together with crumbs and sugar. Press down in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Faire fondre le beurre et bien mélanger avec les miettes et le sucre. Enfoncer dans le fond d'un moule 9x13.

Filling:

1 package cream cheese, room temperature / un paquet de fromage en crème, à température ambiante

1 cup whipped cream / 1 tasse crème fouettée

1/3 cup sugar / 1/3 tasse sucre

1/2 tsp vanilla / 1/2 c. thé vanille

Whip cream separately. Whip the cream cheese, vanilla and sugar together, then fold in whipped cream. Layer over top of the crust.

Fouetter la crème séparément. Fouetter le fromage en crème avec le sucre et vanille, ensuite doucement mélanger la crème. Étaler sur la croûte.

Topping / Garniture:

5 cups blackberries / 5 tasses mûres

1 cup water / 1 tasse d'eau

1/2 cup sugar / 1/2 tasse sucre

2 heaping tbsp corn starch / 2 grosses c. table d'amidon de mais

Cook water, sugar and corn starch over low heat until thick, stirring constantly. Fold in blackberries. Layer on top of the cream cheese mixture. Chill for at least 2 hours.

Faire cuire l'eau, le sucre et l'amidon sur un feu doux jusqu'à épaississement, remuant bien. Ajouter les mûres et étaler sur la couche de crème. Réfrigérer au moins 2 heures.

(I forgot to get a photo of the final layer, and my family demolished it before I had a chance to get a photo of the finished product. However, you still get a good idea of what this delicious dessert looks like :)

This is an easy dessert to make with any other berries, and I suspect it would work with other fruit such as diced peaches or cherries.

Ceci est un dessert facile à adapter avec d'autres baies, et j'imagine aussi avec d'autres fruits comme des pêches ou cerises coupées.

Strawberry heaven

I love strawberry season! Granted this post is a bit late, strawberries stopped being in season about a month ago, but my excuse is legitimate: we just moved into a new house. Now that the boxes are mostly unpacked and the the house is liveable I feel that it's ok to go back and relive that wonderful window of time when strawberries were cheap and delicious.

I was lucky enough to get to a U-pick during those few weeks and pick about 9 quarts of fresh strawberries. I froze most of them to use in smoothies and desserts this winter, but I also made a few simple recipes with some of the fresh ones. Oh and we ate a bunch. Nature's candy!
Many people like to make jam, but we're not big jam-eaters, and my husband prefers raspberry so I didn't bother with the sticky hassle this year.

Two things I made with my fresh strawberries were strawberry syrup and strawberry frozen yogurt. With the syrup I struck out on my own and tried my own recipe, which is good, but when used to flavour water the pulp sinks to the bottom of the glass. I should probably follow a recipe next time, but they all require that you cook the strawberries and I simply prefer the taste of fresh ones.

Strawberry Syrup Recipe

- 3 cups strawberries, washed and chopped
- 3/4 cup white sugar (+/- to taste)
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Using a food processor (or blender if you don't have one) purée the strawberries until smooth. Add sugar and lemon juice and blend well. Store in an easily pourable glass container. I use an old maple syrup bottle. Use on ice cream, in yogurt or to spritz up sparkling water or plain water (be sure to stir well before drinking!) Will keep in the fridge for a month or so.

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Recipe

- 2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and chopped
- 1 cup plain yogurt (homemade? :)
- 3 tbsp maple syrup

Again, using a food processor purée the strawberries until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and fold in yogurt and maple syrup. If you don't have an ice cream machine you can just use a glass or ceramic bowl and place mixture in the freezer. Take it out every 15 min or so and stir well until the it reaches the desired consistency.

We have a great ice cream maker that just stirs the mixture constantly in a water-filled bowl that is pre-frozen. It's great for making any kind of ice cream that we are creative enough to come up with!

This frozen yogurt is very flavourful and light, perfect for a hot summer day!

To freeze strawberries, I just wash them, cut off the tops and place them whole in freezer bags. You can also quarter them, depending on what you hope to use them for. Even though preserving this many strawberries can be a lot of work and will leave your hands and nails stained red, it is worth it when you get to enjoy a delicious strawberry-banana smoothie during a snowstorm in February!

Local Food: Cedar Lane Farms

Terry & Monique Mierau

190 Lakeview Road, Route 715

Coles Island, New Brunswick

I was so happy when I discovered Terry Mierau of Cedar Lane Farms at the Kingston Farmer’s Market last year. I had been reading some scary things about industrially produced meat in one of my university classes and was looking for somewhere to get local meat free from all the grossness I read about. Most of our vacuum-packed meat is raised in cattle feedlots where animals stand like sardines in their own filth and are kept in such horrid conditions that they invariably get sick and must be constantly fed antibiotics. They are also fed growth hormones so they will get big and fat very fast. These antibiotics and hormones (and who knows what else) end up in our meat and milk, wreaking mysterious havoc on our bodies. Lovely!

Cedar Lane Farms is located in Cole Island, New Brunswick, where they raise chickens, turkeys, pigs and sheep. Their meat is not certified organic, which is an expensive and lengthy accreditation process they are currently undergoing, but they will attest (and show you pictures!) that their animals are kept in wide open spaces and eat grass and do normal animal things. A far cry from the cattle feedlots!

You can buy Cedar Lane Farms meat at the Kingston Farmers' market (open Saturday until 1 pm). The Mieraus sell pasture-raised chickens, organic grass-fed beef (David Burnett's farm) as well as farm-fresh eggs (also organic and free-range). They make A-MAZING home-cured double-smoked bacon and homemade sausages which are both to die for. They also provide maple syrup and fruits and vegetables when in season.

In order to score some eggs you have to get there EARLY or else they're all gone. Also, the chicken goes fast. Your best bet is to pre-order chicken (also lamb) for butchering season. Then you can be sure to get what you want. I ordered a chicken last year, which I got in July, and it was delicious and tasted so much more… chicken-y. I've ordered 3 this year and am told there are still some available! See their email address below if you are interested.

This isn't their farm specifically, but it's what I picture :)

Truthfully their products are not much more expensive than what you would find in the store, and taste much better, and not to mention healthier. Win, win, win!

More info:

For more information on their cow-share program or any of their products, email them at tpmierau@hotmail.com

Also, if you’re interested in commercial sources of meat, Fast Food Nation (the book, the movie or the website: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/fastfoodnation/ ) will tell you all about it.

Here is another article about the threat of industrial meat production on us and our environment - prepare to be freaked out, but informed!
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124815586