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CSA Week 5: Meet the Interns, Part 2 

7/20/2015

 
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Salutations share members :)

Time to meet intern number 2, aka me! My name is Kim, friends call me Kimmy. I come from our province's beautiful capital, Ottawa and I'll be staying here at Terra Verde right through the growing season until the end of October (that's 6 months of veggie garden learning madness!) This week I am very glad to be back on the farm as the previous week I took a trip home, I had fun checking out the markets and various gardens (the local/organic food movement in Ottawa is very hip and mainstream nowadays) however, the city is no place for a country girl and I actually couldn't wait to be back at Terra Verde. As soon as I could, I beelined it to the field to see the progress and oh boy was I pleased! Little tiny baby vegetables everywhere I looked! Peppers, eggplants, TOMATOES, zucchini, cucumber.... there is some deliciousness coming your way folks, but good things come to those who wait, and wait we shall for they are not ready, yet :)

Of course there was a time when I was not at all thrilled about vegetables or entranced by their various growing stages. Coming from a back round of dairy farmers, I grew up on the standard meat and potato diet, only problem was I didn't like meat, so it was more of a potato diet for me haha. The family trips to the farm filled my childhood with wonder and happiness, fresh milk straight from the cow, welcoming new calves into the world, the barn kittens, the fresh air accompanied by that irreplaceable country smell... yep it was the good life. Except one thing, where on earth were all the vegetables?! As I grew older, I realized as fond as I was of my family's farm, there was definitely something missing. Slowly I started to learn about and integrate a more plant based diet in my life. Then came a huge break through, while working at a health food store, I was introduced into the world of CSA's. I completed my first organic veggie farm internship in 2013 on a lovely farm in St. Albert, Ontario and I've never looked back since. I took a summer off farming to explore a sustainable building/living internship in Argentina at a center called "Mama Roja", I knew I wanted to farm again in summer 2015 so when I stumbled upon Terra Verde, after my recent trip down south it just fit! Plus they have goats here, I love goats :)

I used to say it was my dream to have my own farm, but now I say it is my goal and I'm 100% serious about making it happen. Everyday here at Terra Verde I reminded of the importance of food and community, I get to see and experience first hand all the love, optimism, hard work and hard ships that goes into such an operation and it is continuously inspiring to me. I am so grateful to be apart of the Terra Verde team this season as well as being equally thrilled to provide you all with these delicious and nutritious vegetables. A lot of dedication goes into this and seeing the happy members and hearing their positive comments puts a cherry on top of my experience here.



Weekly Share Contents:

Head Lettuce
Carrots
Broccoli
Baby Potatoes
Green Onions
Zucchini
Cabbage


Recipe Ideas:

This weeks showcased veggie is the humble cabbage!

Cabbage is a wonderfully versatile vegetable; raw, roasted, sauteed, fermented, slice it up and you can throw it in just about anything!!! I like my cabbage roasted, which can easily be done on the grill for any of you BBQ lovers! Just cut your cabbage is wedges, brush with oil (remember to use an oil which can stand the heat, try avocado or sunflower) and grill for 5-7 minutes flip and grill 5-7 minutes longer, enjoy just like that or toss with a dash of some of your favorite dressing. Alternatively, you can roast in the oven. Preheat to 450, remove the core and cut into wedges, drizzle with oil and sprinkle on a pinch of salt and pepper, cover your pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes, take off foil and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, toss with 2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and you got yourself and real nice cabbage side dish! Too hot for ovens and BBQs? We all know cabbage makes a great coleslaw so skip the cooking and eat it raw, shred it up with some carrots and onions (or any other coleslaw like ingredients you enjoy) and toss with your family's favorite go to coleslaw dressing, or try out this fabulous recipe:

3 tablespoons peanut butter (or almond)

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon each soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil 

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Simply whisk together and toss with your shredded cabbage con other veggie mixture. It's also always nice just to keep it simple, add some sliced cabbage to any green salad and enjoy the different texture it brings. And no stir-fry is complete without a little cabbage right?! I like to keep the pieces quite long and thin so you can twirl it around your fork like spaghetti!

Now for the real adventurous, why not try fermenting your cabbage? That's right folks make your very own sauerkraut! Fermented foods have long been praised for their health benefits, they promote flora in our tummies and help us digest and it's oh so easy to do! Basically all you need is cabbage, salt and a jar to put them in. Here's a link to a no fuss sauerkraut in a mason jar recipe http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-easy-homemade-sauerkraut-in-a-mason-jar-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-193124

I hope you all have a most excellent week, that's all folks!

Kimmy signing off.


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  • Our Farm
    • Meet the Farmers
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