Vegetable users guide

This page is being renovated over the next few weeks.  We would like it to be our small attempt to answer some questions we get from our customers primarily, “what do I do with this?”.  We hope to have it finished by the start of the 2022 season.

Here is the list of the vegetables we grow and some tips on using them in your kitchen.

Amaranth.  Unlike the variety grown for the seed, this variety is grown for the leaf.  We started growing it a few years ago in search of a cut green that tolerated the mid season heat.  One of the most nutritious greens from the garden.  We use it most often in salad, tossed with other greens and herbs.  It can be used in cooking, just like spinach.  It is a little dryer, almost a chalky feel compared to spinach, but it has nutty flavour that given a chance, you will really come to appreciate.

Beans.  Always an anticipated treat from the garden each summer.  We plant enough beans for at least two weeks of picking for the shares.  Recently we started growing yellow beans as well as the green.

Beets.  Easy to grow, and one of our favourites for the summer table.  We grow golden beets as well as the regular beets with deep rich colour.  We try to keep a regular supply throughout the season.

Broccoli.  Much loved for its nutritional value, and its versatility in the kitchen.  It will show up in the shares at least once, and if the year is good, twice.  It sends up one big floweret, and after that is harvested many smaller shoots pop up in the weeks to follow.

Kohlrabi.  Underrated, but a familiar vegetable with the older generation.  Given the right conditions, it grows fast, so we like to have it available early spring, and perhaps also in fall.

Cabbage.  We grow two types of cabbage. Shares receive one green and one red cabbage. These are fall varieties. Cabbage is one of those crops susceptible to a variety of pests, and so to grow it organically, we cover it with garden cloth during the growing season.

Cauliflower.  Despite being somewhat fussy to grow, we couldn’t ignore cauliflower any longer as it is such a wonderful vegetable in salads, and cooking.  I particularly love the way it soaks up the rich flavours of any type of sauce.

Carrots.  Carrots are one of those vegetables that really shine when grown organically, and eaten fresh from the garden.  We try to keep a regular supply of orange and purple carrots throughout the season.

Celery.  Great flavour for fall soups and fresh eating, we attempt to have two weeks worth available in fall.

Corn.  We plant enough for two weeks.  Corn is a heat loving crop, and is probably the crop that is most susceptible to bad weather.  Always a treat when if finally arrives!

Cucumber.  We grow English slicing cucumbers, as well as pickling cucumbers.  Then pikling cucumbers are not included in the CSA.    Cucumbers are a heat loving, mid season crop and we hand out as many as possible in the CSA starting July and into fall.

Fennel.  Another vegetable that is used to flavour soups, but also great grilled, roasted and fresh in salads.  We plant it twice, once for spring handout and once for the fall.

Garlic scapes. This is the seed head to a garlic plant. It has a mild garlic flavour, great in salads, sautéed or pureed in a pesto. We hand it out in July.

Green onions. We start these early for those first bins in spring and plan to have them available right until our regular season onions are available.

Herbs.  We grow a variety of the staple herbs such as dill, parsley, basil, and cilantro.  We try to have herbs all season.

Leek.  Prized for the subtle flavour, it is a long season crop which is available in fall.

Kale.  One of the most nutritious vegetables, we grow heirloom green curly type.  It is available mid to late season.

Lettuce.  A real staple in the bins, we try to have it available all season, focusing on spring and fall.  We grow a wide variety of lettuce.

Onions.  We grow sweet onions and cooking onions. They are available in the bins from mid season into fall.

Peppers.  We love peppers.  For the share bins we grow green bell peppers, as well as Jalapeño and Poblano peppers!

Potatoes.  We are always experimenting with ways to combat the colorado potato beetle.  That said, a summer can not go by without a few meals of those sweet new potatoes.  We do our best to supply potatoes at least twice in the bins.

Pumpkins and squash.  We grow small pie pumpkins, as well as a variety of squash such as butternut, buttercup, acorn, spaghetti squash and Delicatta.

Radish.  Another real garden classic. We grow radishes for those early bins and another round in fall.

Rhubarb. Essential spring staple. Full of nutrition for our spring diets, we put it in the bins at least twice early in the season.

Spinach.  We try for a spring crop and a fall crop.  Always a real treat!!

Swiss Chard.  This is easy to grow, and has great flavour.  It is available throughout the season.

Tomatoes.  A real back bone of any garden, we put a lot of effort into growing tomatoes.  We continually search for great flavour, and varieties that suit the CSA.

Zucchini.  Easy to grow, we have it available mid season and into fall. We grow several different varieties.

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