This is the final week and blog post for the Winter OAS season! Boo hoo! We hope you enjoyed your Winter OAS bags this season, and continue to enjoy local produce throughout the summer season, hopefully as part of our summer programs! This week, you’ll be receiving a colourful bag, with mosaic tomatoes, red onions, navy beans (actually, these are white!) red radish and yellow peppers! Enjoy!
On the Menu this Week:
Fruit:
Pears (Lincoln Line Orchards)
Veggies:
Frozen Edamame (Pristine Gourmet) — a healthy and delicious snack! Boil frozen edamame for about 5-6 minutes. Drain, toss with sea salt and serve!
Mini Cucumbers (Always Fresh)
Mosaic Tomatoes (Sovereign Farms)–gorgeous and delicious!
Red Onion (Hillside Garden Farms)
Radishes (Zephyr Organics)–the first ones of the season! see feature below
Red Pepper (St. David’s Hydro)
Yellow Pepper (St. David’s Hydro)
Russet Potatoes (Thompson’s Potato Farm)
Multi coloured Carrots (Hillside Garden Farms)
Salad Greens (Sleger’s)–once you finish the greens, try planting the root ball in your garden! If you’re lucky, the lettuce should re-grow 2-3 times over the summer.
Living Sprouts (Sleger’s)
Pantry:
Navy Beans from Pristine Gourmet. One of my favorite beans, by far, navy beans are great because they are smaller, so they cook faster. They’re great in salads! See prep instructions below
Cheese:
Eweda Cru, a raw sheep milk cheese. It’s made starting with a traditional gouda recipe and then it’s aged for a minimum of 9 months. It is pale yellow in colour with many small holes. The texture is slightly crumbly, yet smooth on the tongue with a slightly nutty, then grassy flavour. Enjoy this yummy cheese!
Meat:
Beef, either stewing or ground beef–you’ll have to wait until you receive your bag to see what you get! We apologize for any inconvenience! There was a mixup with our butcher’s order on how we wanted our cow butchered. As part of our sustainable farming practices, we buy entire cows which take between 18 to 24 months to raise. Once the beef is butchered, that’s it–we can’t just place another order. So although this can be frustrating at times, when mix-ups or other issues come up, it’s really just a small inconvenience with small-scale farming!! The benefits of this type of farming by far out weighs the negatives!
Featured Ingredient: Red Radish
The radish (Raphanus sativus) is a root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family (also known as crucifers). The common name “radish” is derived from the Latin word, “radix”, which means root. Radishes were domesticated in Europe in pre-Roman times and today, they are grown and consumed throughout the world.
Here in Ontario, radishes are in season form May to November.
In general, radishes can be categorized into four seasonal groups–spring, summer, fall and winter, along with a variety of colours (red, pink, white, black etc.) and shape (round or elongated).
Spring and summer radishes are often referred to as European radishes. The most common variety we see is the Cherry Bell (round, red with white interior). French Breakfast radishes are also popular, due to their elongated shape, mainly red with white tips–gorgeous!
Winter radishes include the Black radish (as OAS members already know–it’s a large, round radish that’s white on the inside and black on the outside, with a very peppery flavour) and daikon radish.
Nutrition–Radishes connote health in some cultures. There’s a Lithuanian expression “sveikas kaip radikas” meaning “healthy like a radish”–it’s used as a compliment when describing a healthy person.
Radishes are rich in Vitamin C, folic acid and potassium, and are a source of fibre. They have a high water content, making them very low in calories (about 20 calories per 1/2 cup of sliced radish)!
Cooking and eating radishes: Both radish leaves and the radish root can be eaten. Radish leaves are often quite dirty, so washing them multiple times is necessary. Try adding them to other greens in a salad. Radish roots are delicious eaten raw whole, or thinly sliced or grated into a salad. Try adding a grated radish to your favorite dip recipe- a little radish goes a long way! If you don’t like the heat of radishes, try roasting them! Roasting radishes significantly reduces their peppery flavour. See radish recipes below.
Storage: If you’re planning on storing them for more than 2-3 days, remove the leaves and store in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. They can be stored for a couple of weeks. If they do get a bit soft, place radishes in cold water for an hour or so to crisp them up.
Radish Recipes:
Roasted Radish with Radish Greens
This is a great way to eat the entire radish. Roasting also mellows the peppery flavour of radishes.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roasted-radishes-with-radish-greens
Pickled Cucumber and Radish
This is a great salad to serve at a bbq. Delicious and fresh-tasting, it’s a great side to burgers.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pickled-Cucumber-and-Radish-105029
12 Ravishing Radish Recipes
Here are 12 radish recipes from Canadian Living
Watercress, Radish and Cream Cheese Sandwiches
Try using your sprouts on this sandwich too!
http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/8784/Watercress-Radish-And-Cream-Cheese-Sandwiches.html
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/menus_and_collections/12_ravishing_radish_recipes.php
More Recipes…
How to prepare dried navy beans
Tip: One pound of dried beans makes about 5 to 6 cups of cooked beans.
Quick Soak Method
1. Place beans in a large pot with tight-fitting lid and cover with cold
water by 2-3 inches. Bring to a boil and boil beans uncovered for 2
minutes. Cover the pot, turn off heat and allow to soak for 2 hours.
2. After 2 hours, taste. If the bean is tender (but not done), add a large
pinch of salt and some pepper. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of water
covering beans. If not, add more water. If the beans are not yet tender,
DO NOT add salt, and ensure the beans are covered by 2 inches of water.
3. Bring pot to a boil, then reduce temperature to a gentle simmer. Cover
partially, and cook, stirring occasionally and tasting a bean for doneness
every 10-15 minutes. You may need to add more water. If you haven’t yet
added salt, add it once the beans are tender. Once the beans are done,
adjust seasoning and use in recipe.
Long-Soak Method
1. Place beans in a large pot with tight-fitting lid and cover with cold
water by several inches. Soak overnight, or for 8-12 hours.
2. Drain the beans and return to pot. Check for doneness. If they are
tender, add a large pinch of salt and some black pepper and cover beans by 1
inch. If not yet tender, DO NOT add salt, and cover by 2 inches of water.
3. Bring pot to a boil, then reduce temperature to a gentle simmer. Cover
partially, and cook, stirring occasionally and tasting a bean for doneness
every 10-15 minutes. You may need to add more water. If you haven’t yet
added salt, add it once the beans are tender. Once the beans are done,
adjust seasoning and use in recipe.
Creamy White Beans with Garlic and Sage
A simple recipe for a great side dish.
http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/RecipeController?language=EN&recipeType=1&action=recipe&recipeID=187
White bean crostini with Spicy Cucumbers
You could add some radishes to this recipe too! A great warm-weather appetizer.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/white-bean-crostini-with-spicy-cucumbers