Food. Weekly.

Great Greens: A CSA tribute

Sometimes you need a good kick. Sometimes you need someone to motivate you. Sometimes you need your husband to walk away from the computer desk and say to you, “Well, I’m going to go play video games. You should blog about the CSA.” And, so, here I am.

Last Wednesday marked the beginning of our 12 weeks of fresh, pesticide free produce. We stood back in awe as she filled our bags with an amazing variety of produce. This week’s share featured: Swiss chard, kale, tomatoes, peas, collard greens, onions, lettuce, beets, peppers, yellow zucchini, potatoes and cilantro. Wow. My understanding is that because it is early in the season, this was a small share. Wow. 

Needless to say, we’ve been plowing through as many of these items as possible before our weekly pick-up day rolls around again. I made a fresh pea soup that was to die for. One unexpected snack that has now become a household favorite is Kale Chips. Crunchy, tasty and way heathlier than deep fried potato chips. 

Oven Baked Kale Chips

1 bunch of kale, stems removed and torn into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sprinkling of salt (and whatever other spices strike your fancy. I used salt, pepper and garlic powder)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the kale pieces in a bowl and gently toss with olive oil. Important: only add a small amount of olive oil at a time. I only used one capful. You want the kale to be very lightly coated, otherwise your chips will be oily, instead of crisp. Spread the prepared kale onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and/or other spices. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until chips looks dried and crispy. Enjoy!

For more information on Community Supported Agriculture visit: www.localharvest.org 

For more information on our CSA farm, Stonelane Orchard visit: www.stonelaneorchard.com

Photo credit: Taylor Summach

Simple joys.

Mmmm.

After a hectic month and half of moving, travelling and setting up a home, I have finally settled back into this blog. Taylor and I are renting the most lovely little two bedroom apartment near the college campus where we both work. We’ve been here two weeks now, and I can say that this move has been good for my soul. Green spaces. Fresh air. Natural light. Taylor took the photos and created the lovely triptych above. He now enjoys taking photos for my blog thanks to the big windows in our suite. I vow never to take another food photo in florescent lighting again. Never. This move has been a big step towards the lifestyle we want to live. And what we eat is large part of that lifestyle.

We’re planted a herb garden in our south-facing window. Basil, oregano and parsley are shooting up into warm sunlight. I see a lot of fresh pesto in our future…and what a glorious future that will be. We’ve also been buying farm fresh brown eggs from a gentleman I work with. A mere $3 a dozen -unheard of! My newest guilty pleasure? Liberte yogurt. They have quite the selection at the little grocery store down the road. I’m looking forward to trying each flavour with gusto. Why do all the good food stuffs come from Quebec?

We’ve bought our first share in CSA. We can expect ABSURD amounts of fresh, local fruits and vegetables to come our way starting in mid-July. You can check out “our” farm at www.stonelaneorchard.com  To tide us over until our CSA starts harvesting, the St. Norbert Farmer’s Market opens next weekend! If you live in or near Winnipeg, there really is no excuse not to attend. I go for the breads and produce, Taylor for the spring rolls at J.J. Spring Roll.

Life is good.