Andrea the Gastronaut

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This week had me picking up my usual small 6-point share + my friend’s medium 12-point share. It was a lot to keep track of. My six points went quick. I got…

• Rhubarb (1 bunch)
• Shitiake mushrooms
• A bunch of carrots
• 1/3 lb of spinach
• 2 cucumbers*
• 1.5 lbs of sweet potatoes

…It appears I went 1 point over, as the mushrooms were 2. I’ll still need to get kale at a farmer’s market but I still have some from last week so it wasn’t priority. They were also out of salad mix by the time I got there so I’ll need to pick up more of that. Last week I took another bunch of garlic scapes and decided not to get any more this year because even if I freeze some and make pesto I’ve still got too many. Scape season appears to be over now. I also need to replenish my berries. Tomorrow is another farmer’s market… and so is Thursday. This time of year is awesome if you like fresh, local produce.

Eat well, be well.

CSA Community-supported agriculture, CSA, Everdale

Intended to post one last week but forgot after I remembered. Happens all the time with stuff.

Both weeks:

• Salad greens
• Swiss chard (last week’s was finished in a wheatberry salad)
• Kale (different variety this week)
• Raspberries

Last week: Shiitake mushrooms

This week: Garlic scapes

And those are my 6 points for a small share. Raspberries are 2 points for a small container. It makes me a little sad.

This week I stopped at the Trinity Bellwoods farmer’s market first. It was my first visit. Tuesdays are CSA pick up days and getting to both by 7 requires planning, I thought, especially when I don’t usually leave the office until 6. What it requires is getting out of the office earlier (I go in late after puttering around in the morning and missing rush hour as to not be packed tightly with other bodies on public transit).  I realized today that I’d been planning backwards and less efficiently anyhow. Once I realized this my transit plans came together. I left the office around 5:10, was at the farmer’s market by 5:30ish (a 15 minute streetcar ride from work after a short wait) and the CSA pick up location just before 6:30.

At the farmer’s market I picked up a pint of these:

Wild Blueberries are like crack but I rarely buy because of the sticker shock ($9!). If the first container was free they’d really have me hooked.

What else was waiting for me to buy? Cheese from Ruth of Monforte Dairy!  Monforte was selling at two farmer’s markets today. Ruth had someone selling Toscano and curds at the SickKids Hospital MyMarket earlier in the day. I went, didn’t buy. Instead I chose to wait until after work and buy Toscano and feta at Trinity Bellwoods. I don’t think they even had feta at SickKids and I’ve been craving feta for two days, since I made a big wheatberry salad on Sunday. I also find myself craving salt recently, and I’m not much of a salt craver. I think it’s a result of the heat and sweating.

This weekend if I can catch a ride I’ll see if she’s got halloumi at Brick Works. Grilled halloumi makes me happy and I hear that she’s got a cool little worker bee working it.

Dinner tonight: Farmer’s market eggs (albeit, no longer fresh and the dozen is down to one) scrambled with garlic scapes. smoked salmon, Monforte feta and Toscano. One bite of the feta made my mouth happy.

Also on the topic of the CSA: The weekend before last I redid the newsletter template so that it’s easier to work with as long as it’s still being done in Word. It’s a personal little victory. Text boxes FTW.

Eat well, be well.

CSA, Food Community-supported agriculture, CSA

Rhubarb
Spinach
Arugula
Zucchini
rainbow chard
Garlic scapes
Kale
Cilantro (herbs are free)

I’ve been putting rhubarb in smoothies but intend to stew some. I’ve used garlic scapes in scrambled eggs, kale in smoothies and salads (it’s better if you steam it before putting in salad) and spinach also in smoothies and salads. Earlier this week I made a smoothie that included spinach, strawberries, rhubarb and lemon – among other things.

Here are some ideas for chard that I received from Hazon, sent to CSA Newsletter Coordinators. I’m one of three Newsletter Coordinators/Editors for my CSA, and we’re a Hazon CSA site.

• Wash the chard well to remove any sand or soil that may be hidden in the leaves.
• Wrap Swiss chard leaves around your favorite vegetable and grain salad and roll into a neat little package. Bake in a medium-heat oven and enjoy this nutrient-superstar alternative to stuffed cabbage.
• Toss penne pasta with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and cooked Swiss chard.
• Add zest to omelets and frittatas by adding some steamed Swiss chard.
• Use chard in place of or in addition to spinach when preparing vegetarian lasagna.

Obviously the first is the start to all the others. I’d like to try wrapping the leaves around filling as per the second suggestion.

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It appears that I didn’t do a CSA post last week. My haul was similar. From what I remember, I picked up some bok choy, salad greens, apples, strawberries and carrots. I don’t remember what else. I’d been hoping for totsoi because I’d put in back the week before in order to get spinach but there was none.

CSA Community-supported agriculture, CSA, Everdale, Harvest Share, Hazon, swiss chard

Here’s what I chose this week.

• Spinach (picked up at the last minute, after putting back tatsoi)
• Strawberries
• Mizuna (sounds like the name of a restaurant, and there are a number of restaurants with the name)
• Cabbage
• Garlic scapes
• Rhubarb

Photos from this week.

Interested in joining Everdale’s CSA with pick up in the Annex? Pick up is every Tuesday from 3:30 to 7. Get more information here.

CSA Community-supported agriculture, CSA, Everdale Farm, Harvest Share

Despite the frosty week, we’re well into spring.  10 days into May already. This means two things: Outdoor farmer’s markets are opening soon (I have 3 within walking distance of work and home) and it’s almost CSA season. CSA = Community Supported Agriculture, aka harvest share, and each year Toronto’s options are growing.

Want help finding one near you? Here’s a guide to some CSAs in and just beyond Toronto.

The Cutting Veg

I’ve already blogged about The Cutting Veg’s new CSA, Park Road Organic Harvest, near Yonge and Bloor, with pick up on Wednesday from The Park Road Healing Arts clinic. For those farther north The Cutting Veg has two more: The Tikkun Adamah CSA (“Repairing of the Earth”) is located in the Bathurst and Rutherford Road area, in partnership with the Kavanah Garden, with pick-up taking place on Thursday afternoons. The Pri Adamah CSA (“Fruits of the Earth”) is located in the Wilson and Avenue Road area, in partnership with Temple Sinai, with pick-up taking place on Tuesday afternoons. All of The Cutting Veg CSA’s run weekly from the beginning of June to the end of October. Visit The Cutting Veg’s website and Kavanah Organic Community Teaching Garden’s website more information.

Mid town? Want more options? Summer produce, artisan goods and meat

Culinarium at Mt. Pleasant and Eglinton is hosting 3 Share Programs this year.

Summer Produce CSA

From June to October enjoy 19 weeks of farm fresh local organic produce from the Triple Cord Mennonite community in Aylmer Ontario. More information.

Ontario Artisan Share Program™: Summer program.

Every other Thursday for 18 weeks from June to October pick up your basket of Ontario Artisan food stuffs. A great way to sample the variety of wonderful foods produced here in our fine province. Shares include fresh fruit and veggies, artisan cheese, meats, legumes and various pantry staples such as flour, jam, syrup etc. Each week the basket will feature something different based on availability, harvest or seasonality. More information.

Meat Share Program

For the conscious carnivore, Culinarium offers Pork, Lamb and Beef shares plus a Mixed Meat Share for those with small freezers.

Culinarium™ has revived the ancient ritual of feeding our families with meat from a single animal, bred by passionate stewards of the land – local Ontario Farmers. Through Culinarium™ you can now buy a “share” of an LFP certified, pasture raised animal from a farmer you know and trust.

More information.

Everdale Organic Farm

Perhaps you’d like to join a CSA but The Annex/Harbord Village is a more convenient as a pick up location? Everdale Organic Farm and the First Narayever Congregation have been partnering for four years to bring farm-fresh produce to the community. This is the one that I’m directly involved with, as CSA member and committee member.

Qs and As about this CSA:

How does the Everdale/First Narayever program work?

Everdale Farm, an organic farm and environmental learning centre, and the First Narayever Congregation have partnered to bring this Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) program to the Annex.

A CSA strengthens the relationship between the people growing food, and those eating it.  Members pay in advance for the season based on the size of their weekly share (small, medium, or large).  Then, Every Tuesday from June 15 to October 26, members choose the produce that they want from a market set up at the Narayever, located at 187 Brunswick Avenue, just north of Harbord Street.

What happens if I can’t make it one week, or if I’m only around for part of the summer?

You pay for your share based on the number of weeks that you want to receive it.  The on-line registration form allows you to exclude the weeks you will be away.  You can even choose just a fall share (September and October).

If your plans change and there’s a week you can’t make it, you can cancel your order and receive a refund by sending an email to the farm as long as you provide two-weeks notice.  At any time, you can also choose to donate your weekly share to those in need.  Finally, we are flexible about who picks up your produce.  For times you can’t get there, we encourage you to send someone in your place.  We’ll show them how it all works when they come.

What if there are things I don’t like at the market?

Our CSA is unique in that you are able to choose what you want each week based on what’s in season.  We are not a box program.  Instead of prescribing what you must take, shares are based on a point system: you get a certain number of points every week and you can use them towards whatever produce you want.

Why should I join a CSA when I can go to a Farmer’s Market?

The CSA is about more than buying organic, local groceries that taste great.  A CSA is also about creating community.  Each week you have a chance to talk to the farmers and to meet other members of the CSA.  Our CSA organizes workshops to learn how to preserve the harvest – so you can eat locally throughout the year.  We also plan trips to Everdale farm to see firsthand where our food grows.

Our CSA has a social conscience.  Each year, we partner with an organization to which we donate any uncollected or donated shares.  Last year alone, we provided about 80 boxes of fresh, organic food to families in need.  This year, shares donated or not picked will be given to The STOP Community Food Centre for use in their community kitchen.

Finally, joining the CSA is a cost effective way to get local, organic, high quality produce.  A harvest share costs far less than the same produce purchased at a local farmers’ market.

[Andrea adds:  Why not join a CSA and shop a farmer's market?]

Is this a Jewish CSA?

While based at the First Narayever Congregation, the CSA is open to all members of the community.  The CSA is grounded in Jewish values of environmentalism and social justice, but is welcoming to anyone.  We do offer Jewish-themed activities, especially around the Jewish holidays, and our weekly newsletter includes commentaries on issues from a Jewish perspective, but we would welcome ideas and contributions from other perspectives as well.

For more information, please email TorontoCSA@gmail.com or Harvestshare@everdale.org

View map of 187 Brunswick.

Hungering for the outdoor markets?

If you’re wondering when your local farmer’s market opens up, The Cookbook Store posted some dates to their blog two days ago. Also check out Farmer’s Markets Ontario and the Toronto Farmers’ Market Network.

Now, whichever location or format is most convenient for you, go forth and join a CSA!

Eat well, be well.

Related post:

Slow Food Toronto – Community Shared Agriculture (CSA)

Food Community-supported agriculture, Kavanah Garden, local, The Cutting Veg

(All the “cutting veg” puns are taken.)

Last Thursday I volunteered at The Cutting Veg, an organic farm in Brampton, Ontario. I’m on their mailing list and for weeks have been wanting to volunteer but without a car I didn’t think it was possible. Another volunteer offered and to the farm I went. 7am pick up.

What images go through your mind when you think about farmers? Farm houses with rows of corn and livestock in the “backyard”? Silos? Country folk? Personally “Jewish farmer” always seemed like an oxymoron to me although I don’t know why (laugh at me if you wish, we all have preconceived notions).

Daniel Hoffman of The Cutting Veg lives in mid town Toronto (a few blocks from me) with his wife, who I met a couple of weeks earlier in a separate context and without her husband (the Jewish world is small). Every morning at 6am he drives to his farm, a large plot on McVean Incubator Farm, leased by FarmStart. At McVean Farm/FarmStart, new farmers receive access to the land, infrastructure, and equipment they need to raise crops and to process and market their products. By granting access to land and equipment at reasonable rates, FarmStart’s farm facilities allow new farmers to postpone major investments in land and equipment until their businesses start generating profit. The incubator model also helps participants to build the skills and knowledge that they need in order to make sound investments.

Other farmers who occupy land on McVean land include Matchbox Garden and Seed Co. and a beekeeper (you can see the hives in the middle photo of the bottom row).

There is no farm house. No toilet facilities either, except for an outhouse (nauseated by the smell the first time I used it, I chose to er, relieve myself hidden among the corn rows – harvest complete – the second time because when you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go).

Immediately beyond the farm and across the street are housing developments. Imagine living in your cookie cutter home with bee hives and rows of crops behind you. It’s picturesque. If it weren’t for the cookie cutter housing development – and the fact that I couldn’t live in the ‘burbs – I’d think that it was downright idyllic.  Row upon row of crops planted in phases. Crops such as cucumbers, kale, potatoes and carrots grow in multiple rows, planted at various times to mature and harvest at different times.

The biggest crop for The Cutting Veg is garlic. Their “Global Garlic Project” includes 10 different international varieties of garlic and they have over 10,000 garlic plants. They currently have 6 varieties of Organic Garlic available for order: Italian, Korean, Persian, Sicilian, Ukrainian, and Yugoslavian. I’ve bought a couple of these at the farmer’s market. As I learned from Daniel months ago, garlic can last for months stored in a paper bag (I keep mine in a cupboard and have started storing my onions in a cloth bag in a dark cupboard). Check out the the Cutting Veg’s garlic varieties and their characteristics here.

On the day I visited, we were picking vegetables for the Tikkun Adamah CSA, a joint project of the Cutting Veg Organic Farm and the Kavanah Organic Community Teaching Garden in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

Upon arrival I was assigned to cucumbers, which are surprisingly spiky. The spikes rub right off with light finger pressure. I guess that when you buy cucs at the store they’ve been rubbed of spikes.

Next was tomatoes – four varieties – and then two kinds of beans (see photo four rows down on the left). I sampled a couple of each as I picked just to taste. Along the way I asked many questions and hoped that I remember the answers. I learned that the orange flowers that I see packed in my salad greens serve the purpose of repelling insects and that the pie plates hanging from strings at the end of crop rows are to repel dear.

On a farm tour after completion of our pick I learned that buckwheat (left photo, second from bottom) is a natural fertilizer. We were allowed to sample purple kale, basil and other crops that weren’t being picked that day. Volunteers were then offered produce to take home: Anything too “ugly” to go to the CSA. Tomatoes, carrots, squash, garlic. Daniel also allowed us to go through the corn stalks and pick anything that was left over. I picked an ear of corn, stripped it, and ate it right on the spot.

Corn picking season is over. Garlic scapes are long gone. Pumpkins are coming up.

I learned a few things about organic farming. It felt great to be down in the dirt working. When my thighs got sore from squatting in the fields I sat cross legged as I plucked beans, shuffling to the side as I went. I also learned that while I was prepared with pants, sunhat, sunglasses, sunscreen and camera the next time I need to pack more water (a couple of brief dizzy spells in the heat reminded me to drink) and a canvas bag for my haul.

Want to sample some of The Cutting Veg yourself?

On Saturdays you can find their booth (minus Daniel) at Wychwood Barns farmer’s market. On Mondays he’s at the Sorauren farmer’s market.

Interested in volunteering? The Cutting Veg is always looking for volunteers. If you can spare just a few hours at least once a week during the day contact Daniel (647) 388-7444 or daniel@thecuttingveg.com.

The Cutting Veg has a blog.

What others are blogging about The Cutting Veg:

• BlogTO: On The Cutting Veg of Urban Farming (I’d have used a headline like theirs if they hadn’t).
• Breastfeeding Moms Unite: Foodie Fridays: Not Your Mama’s Green Beans

(I did take more. When I first started on the cucumbers I didn’t want to take my big camera out so I used my phone’s camera. None of those photos have been moved to my computer.)

Environmentally friendly, Food Agriculture, Community-supported agriculture, environment, farmer's markets, Farmers Market, Organic farming, vegetables