C is for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

It’s What’s the Word? Wednesday!

These last two weeks have been bonkers-crazy-busy. Two beautiful weddings equals two very time strapped weeks and one very exhausted Amy. 

I have been so time-strapped that groceries were not bought and we ate out… a lot. I bought my lunch several times (gasp!, no seriously, I always bring my lunch to work) and delivery once I was home (ugh this happens occasionally but shouldn’t half the nights of the week). The dogs kind of hate me right now because I haven’t been home to do anything with them and my body shares similar feelings because I have been indulging in wine and prepared food and not indulging in the gym. Not a good habit, but YOLO, you (really do) only live once.

This weekend I’ve pretty much cleared free for working on my blog and I’m bound and determined to get back to a regular posting schedule. Only a few weeks left of Summer and I’m on a mission to fill out my list as much as possible before the deadline.

So this week letter is not an ingredient but a really great thing you can do for your community (and family) that involves local fresh produce! This week, C is for Community Supported Agriculture!

What is it?

Community Supported Agriculture, often shortened to CSA is exactly what you may be thinking but possibly better. It’s kind of like the local farmers’ market delivering the best they have to offer, to you on a weekly basis. You may think I just made this up but I didn’t and it’s gaining in popularity. You find a CSA program you like and you buy annual and semi-annual ‘shares’ and they provide you with weekly drops of delicious fresh produce mostly veggies but you can find ones that deliver fruit shares as well as eggs and even baked goods!

What does it taste like?

Amazing of course but lets talk variety. Every week you get a portion of the harvest from a farmer or co-op of farms who provide you with tasty in season and optionally organic produce. What is better than that? Nothing – especially to a foodie!
Where do I use it?

Use it as part of your regular diet, even if you are not a vegetarian you can still participate, and fully enjoy your weekly deliveries. Picky eater? Taproot Farms has what they call a ‘Staple Share’ which is a weekly drop off of locally farmed potatoes, onions, apples and carrots.

Are there health benefits?

Of course there are it’s fresh veggies people! All jokes aside, a lot of CSA programs offer partial or fully organic (free of pesticides) produce. This is good for your body as well as the environment. The minimal use of pesticides and the shorter travel time of the food, from the farm to your table help lower your carbon footprint. Also it does your karma good to contribute to your community by supporting local farmers/business.

V-Spot suggestions for using food in your CSA bag:

CSA shares are such a great way to try new vegetables. You get to take advantage of what the season has to offer and it’s a wonderful chance to experiment with things you may not think to pick up in the grocery store. For example most of my friends (including myself) were exposed to garlic scapes for the first time via their CSA boxes. Many delicious meals followed.
Recipe inspiration:

Almost every CSA program has a website, and usually as part of the website, recipes are submitted by the farmers and CSA shareholders.

For more inspiration/information please check out the following list of Nova Scotian CSA farmers provided by Adventures in Local Food. They have an extensive list of both Year-Round CSA Producers like Tap Root Farms as well as many Seasonal CSA Producers. 

Do not fear if you do not live in Nova Scotia or within a city most rural areas have a farm that is down with participating in this kind of business venture and even if the farm isn’t close to where you are often they will have drop off points close to a place that is more convenient for you. I encourage you all to do an internet search for CSA programs in your area, you may be surprised at what options are out there!

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…beeeeep.

Well hello there. Hope you and well and enjoying what Summer has to offer. I’m loving the heat, so I’m not complaining. I’m not sure if you noticed but I’ve been busy of late but it’s been for a good reason. Despite the obvious I wanted to give you all a shout out because I’ve been thinking of you (I really have – no lie). I’ve also been working on my Summer Bucket List but unfortunately for you, it’s not the food part of that list.

Since I am lacking in the post department I am inspired to make a list. If ya’ll don’t know Tracy of Shutterbean.com you should check her website, and if you like my list you will definitely love her series ‘I love lists Friday’. If you abhore lists, well I just don’t know what to say…see you next post?

1. I’m nail polish obsessed. My two new favorites are by OPI here and here.
2. I was introduced to this website last night and it totally reminds me of my dogs. As does this one.
3. Two of my bucket list vacation spots are Cinqe Terre and Machu Pichu.
4. I wish I had seen this before Angela and Cino’s wedding this would have been perfect for us.
5. I love this idea for homemade gifts, the labelling is the best.
6. How to Choose a Bottle of Wine.
7. Speaking of wine, if you want to learn more about it I would recommend listening to Whitney and Cristina of The Crush. It won’t disapoint!
8. I keep putting off making homemade fudsicles, time is running out!

Onion, Tomato and Date Quick Jam

I’m excited about a few things this morning. One, it’s Friday, you should be excited too. Two, one of my best friend gets married tomorrow which means I get to get dressed up and go on a fancy date with my boyfriend. Three, I made this quick jam that is packed full of flavour and easy (and quick) to make.

Reality time, I still have to go to work shortly but once that is over, it’s weekend celebration time starting with a mani-pedi…boooyah! My boyfriend totally doesn’t want to get dressed up but doesn’t really have a choice, we are going to a wedding. This quick jam kind of tastes like a super fancy ketchup met a sultry Indian chutney and had a beautiful baby…. a tasty baby even.

Serve as a condiment for anything you would use chutney or ketchup on, it won’t disappoint. I served it up along side my Chickpea Bulgur Burgers, yum! Makes about 1 cup of jam keeps for a week in the fridge.

Onion, Tomato and Date Quick Jam

• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 3 tbs tomato paste
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 inch piece of ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 12-15 small dates a little over 1/5 cup
• 1 tsp turmeric
• pinch of chili flakes
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder or salt
• 1-2 tsp of garam masala
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

Prep all your ingredients, dice onions, mince garlic, ginger and  chop the dates.

In a sautee pan heat olive oil and add onions and turmeric. Fry until softened and starting to brown, about 5-8 minutes. Add in tomato paste and cook for another 1-2 minutes to brown the paste slightly.

Add in ginger, garlic and the dates along with chili flakes, water, garlic salt and garam masala. Stir together well and cook over medium heat until 1/2 of the water dissolves and the jam has reduced down to the consistency of ketchup. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm or cold. Keep remaining jam in an air tight container in the fridge for up to a week.

B is for Bulgur

It’s time for the second instalment of my ongoing blogseries What’s the Word?Wednesdays. This Wednesday is the letter B and this week B stands for Bulgur.

What is it?

Bulgur is a whole grain, actually a whole wheat with part of the germ removed. Bulgur can be bought whole and parboiled in various sizes of grain. It’s either left whole or ground slightly. You’ve probably eaten bulgur already without knowing it. It’s found in a lot of Middles Eastern cuisine including tabouli and various kebbes. Click here to find out what Wikipedia has to say about Bulgur.

What does it taste like?

Bulgur has a light nutty taste that blends well into whole grain breads or good as a substitute for couscous in cold summer salads.Depending on how it is prepared, bulgur can be slightly glutenous (stick together) or the opposite and not stick together. I find when boiled like rice it produces a clumpier texture good for making veggie patties or lentil loafs. The other method for preparing involves pouring hot water over finely ground bulgur and letting sit to absorb the water. This method is better for making cold salads like tabouli as the grain remains separated, more like well cooked basmati rice. The texture also varies depending on how finely ground it is, and can be cooked like a morning porridge or used in place of a a more traditional starch like rice or potatoes.

Where do I use it?

Everywhere! No really. Add it to soups, breads, even your morning oatmeal (as long as you cook it first). It makes a great base for a cold grain salad, or you can use it as a filler for veggie burgers like the ones I made here.

Are there health benefits?

Bulgur is a whole grain and whole grains should be incorporated into everyone’s diet however bulgur is not suitable for anyone who is gluten-intolerant. Like other whole grains, bulgur is high in fibre and protein and is actually a great source of potassium.

V-Spot recipes and suggestion for using Bulgur:

Turkish Lentil Kofta
Tabouli Salad

Bulgur Recipe Inspriation:

I did some food-blog trolling and these recipes really stood out, check them out!

Breakfast Bulgur in Coconut Milk by The Whinery
Bulgur and Cabbage Pilaf (Safsouf) by Taste of Beirut
Bulgur Whole Wheat Bread by Angie’s Recipes

Chickpea Bulgur Burgers

I wanted to make a bulgur based veggie burger piled high on a bun with a Mediterranean style yoghurt dip, maybe some olives and sun-dried tomatoes.  I would still recommend these to eat on a bun piled high with your favorite toppings I just want to advise you what I made was a well seasoned, hold together chickpea and bulgur cake. Even though they do not contain potato there is something about the texture that is more like a potato or fish cake. Regardless of how you like to eat them I think they are delicious, and after tasting them I was craving tartar sauce and chutney. Since I was hoping to save myself some calories I fried them in cooking spray and I made an onion, tomato and date jam and served it along side.

Chickpea Bulgur Burgers

• 2 cups cooked bulgur
• 1/4 cup of shelled sunflower seeds
• 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed
• 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 medium sized onion diced
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs dried tarragon
• 1 pinch of chili flakes
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• salt and pepper

Method

Cook bulgur according tot he package directions, you want a 2 cup serving. The ratio is usually 1 cup bulgur to 2 cups water and salt to make 2 cups cooked bulgur. Once cooked place in a large bowl and set aside to cool.

Peel and dice onion, and celery and sautee in olive oil. Season onions with chili flakes, garlic salt and smoked paprika and cook until soft.

Once bulgur has cooled down add sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, one can of whole chickpeas rinsed and drained, tarragon, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Add cooked onion mixture and stir.

Using a potato masher, mash everything together until there are no whole chickpeas remaining, this will take about 5 minutes. When everything is fully incorporated, cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Remove from the fridge and from generously sized 1/4 cup  balls and flatten into patty shapes with your hands.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat with cooking spray or olive oil and gently place in the pan. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, flipping gently. Once browned on the outside remove from the pan and let rest on a platter or serve immediately with a side salad, on a bun and with a host of fancy condiments. Onion, Tomato and Date Jam recipe coming soon.