One of the best tips for summer transplants is to have pumpkin (also cucumber, zucchini, and melon) transplants ready to plant as soon as garlic is harvested from a fall previous planting. In my garden that meant sowing four inch pots with Naked Bear about June 15th, since my garlic was ready to come out mid-July. On the same day, we harvested garlic, dug in some replacement manure and glacial rock dust, and transplanted the pumpkin starts.
Continue ReadingThe rich anise flavour of finely sliced fennel bulb pairs perfectly with the bright, sweet taste of oranges. This is further enhanced by the crisp texture and contrast of fresh red onion, and seasoned with salt and pepper to bring harmony to this healthy vegan salad. Fennel and orange salad with red onion is a perfect summer side and an excellent palate cleanser.
Continue ReadingMaking a big batch of vegetable stock is a great way to clear out the vegetable crisper in times of garden plenty. But this particular recipe is also worth going out and buying fresh veg for to put away in...
Continue ReadingThis traditional Spanish recipe is made from inexpensive, readily available ingredients. For authenticity, try to find Spanish sweet paprika as well as Spanish smoked paprika. In this Sopa de Ajo – Garlic Soup recipe, other kinds of paprika can be substituted, but the recipe is meant to be heavily seasoned. Few other recipes showcase as well garlic as a central ingredient. Garlic!
Continue ReadingCaldo Verde is one of those traditional rustic soups that combines inexpensive, accessible ingredients to produce a truly hearty meal. It's one of our favourite uses for kale, collard greens, and even Swiss chard leaves. Any thick-leaf vegetable can be added. This recipe can be scaled up to feed a larger crowd by simply increasing the quantity of kale and stock.
Continue ReadingHow to roast pumpkin seeds. For something of a shortcut, these recipes can also be produced using plain raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas) from the supermarket. The principle is the same for each, mixing a bit of fat and some spices onto each batch of seeds before roasting the seeds in the oven. Saltiness and spiciness can be controlled when making the initial mix, and all sorts of spice blends, masalas, and curry powders would work as well. These three variations are quite savoury, but could be switched out for cinnamon and sugar, vanilla, maple, cocoa, and so on.
Continue ReadingAh, the zucchini – the crop that keeps on giving and giving! By the fifth week of harvesting bundles of the tender fruits, you’ve had it in pasta. You’ve had them grilled. You’ve made zucchini bread. You’ve even tried the...
Continue ReadingZucchinis are very easy to grow, and when the plants are producing, you don’t get one or two fruits, but rather bushels of them. What do you do with all these zucchinis? Here is a Masala Zucchini recipe that raises...
Continue ReadingThis traditional Indian recipe (AKA gajar ka halwa) transforms carrots into a sweet, soft, surprisingly light pudding that can be served warm or chilled. The sweet taste of carrots is perfectly complemented with cardamom and chopped nuts, and it works well with raisins, goji berries, or any other dried fruits.
Continue ReadingToasted spices add interesting texture to this classic Tunisian carrot salad recipe from Executive Chef Adam Hynam-Smith, co-owner of El gastronomo Vegabundo, Ontario’s first gourmet food truck. This salad can be served on its own or is fantastic with fish...
Continue ReadingFrom The Book of Kale & Friends by Sharon Hanna and Carol Pope. This fantastic book includes over 130 recipes and covers 14 easy-to-grow super-foods that can be grown in the garden or in patio containers. Minted Kale with Peas and Blue Cheese is one of our stand-by fresh salads, a knock out for parties and potlucks.
Continue ReadingAll kinds of pumpkins can be used to cook with to make this, our best pumpkin pie recipe. The best ones have the least interior fibre. We baked pumpkin pies after our 2018 squash trial using Galeux d’Eysines – and they...
Continue ReadingToo spicy to be a marmalade, and too sweet to be a chutney recipe, this mash up is a sweet and savoury relish or pickle that celebrates the flavour of bulb fennel. It is very easy to adjust the spice...
Continue ReadingOne of the most ubiquitous salsas of Yucatan state in Mexico, this fiery hot, slightly sour sauce is painfully addictive. Each region of Mexico has its own set of flavours, and the food of the Maya in Yucatan often features...
Continue ReadingThis is our new favourite way to roast root vegetables. Hasselback Fingerling Potatoes, or Potato a la Hasselbacken, are named after the Hasselbacken restaurant in Stockholm. This ingenious method gets flavour right into the vegetable and produces the most satisfying...
Continue ReadingThis recipe for Savoury Basil Scones uses the same simple base dough recipe as our Sweet Basil Scones recipe. Once the wet and dry ingredients have been mixed, just add the flavouring component. In this case we opted for sharp...
Continue ReadingThis recipe for Sweet Basil Scones uses the same simple base dough recipe as our Savoury Basil Scones recipe. Once the wet and dry ingredients have been mixed, just add the flavouring component. In this case we opted for rough...
Continue ReadingCucumber plants are really productive. Once they get going in summer, you may be hard pressed to find ways to deal with the quantity. This Japanese Cucumber Salad is very simple and quick to make, and it works well at...
Continue ReadingThese savoury morsels are made in a mini muffin tin, so the scale is easy to imagine. They make use of fresh garden broccoli — when it’s ready to pick you have to use it all quick! Broccoli and Cheese...
Continue ReadingLaab Gai is a traditional Thai minced chicken salad with fresh herbs. Thai cooks depend on the tropical herb phak phai (aka Vietnamese coriander or Persicaria odorata), but this recipe relies on a combination of Thai basil, cilantro, and mint....
Continue ReadingHappily, as soon as the summer blueberry crop is ready and the markets are flooded with fresh blueberries, it’s also time to begin harvesting basil. Blueberry and Basil Ice Cream? That’s right! This recipe was the result of our in-house...
Continue ReadingIn high summer, when the basil crop is ready for harvest, drying and pesto production come to mind. But what about sweet basil treats? It might be surprising, but the strong flavour of basil, with its cinnamon undertones, combines nicely...
Continue ReadingWhen our kohlrabi is ready for harvest, it’s got to come out of the garden before it gets woody on the bottom. So we’re always keen for a variety of ways to use it. These Kohlrabi and Potato Cakes make...
Continue ReadingKohlrabi salad with cilantro and lime is a refreshing and healthy summer salad made with kohlrabi, cilantro, lime, jalapeño and a citrus vinaigrette This tastes good the next day too. Serves 4-6 Ingredients: 2 medium kohlrabi, cut into matchsticks 1...
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