This week, we walked off the farm with Fennel, Basil, Cilantro, Peas, Baby White Potatoes, Saskatoons and Golden Raspberries, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Heritage Tomatoes and Zucchini. Quite a selection!
This week was quite busy with birthday parties, play dates and going out to fill in some of that boredom summer time for the kids. As a result, I didn’t cook a whole lot and now my second fridge is starting to fill up. The CSA was the reason we sought out another fridge because one fridge was not cutting it last year, especially when the bounty picked up in mid-summer. Now, we don’t have food falling out of the fridge when we open the door!
Irresistable potato salad
The first thing I made this week, was potato salad. I found this Potato Salad with Bacon and Dill recipe and several others that I think you’ll enjoy. They’ve all been pinned on my A Spoonful of Local Pinterest page. This particular recipe was flavourful, even though I didn’t add the pickles and the recipe calls for minimal mayo. Christine Cushing’s trick is to add the Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar to the potatoes when they are hot. I have to say, her trick works – the potatoes just absorb the flavour in. My husband and I could’ve finished the whole bowl – and he’s not a potato salad fan. Or maybe the real trick is just adding bacon!
Pico de gallo
Pico de galloOne of my favourite items to make fresh is Pico de Gallo (sometimes referred to as mild salsa). It goes over really well at parties. A really great recipe of Pico de Gallo is found here on the Prairie Gardens blog. You can adjust the recipe however you like to get different flavours to the forefront. I like adding lime juice as well as lemon or you could substitute the lemon completely with the lime. I generally keep the jalapeno to one so it suites everyones tastes – using two jalapenos would start bringing a little bit of heat. Try using yellow tomatoes, they bring a sweeter flavour to the pico. And if you are in the mood for something with more of a twist, try this Charred Onion Tomato Salsa. It looks absolutely del-ish!
Roasted pork with fennel
I thought I would make one quick mention on fennel, a new food introduced to me last year through the CSA program, and maybe a new one to you too. I found this really amazing recipe from Simply Whisked: Roast Pork Loin with Fennel and Apples. I made it with pork chops once and it turned out quite well, but the way to go is with the pork loin. Absolutely mouth-watering! This recipe is a keeper, for sure.
Enjoy! Carrie
