I just love watching the garden change, from the first site of life to the way the community really gets involved and changes too! Having the CSA in the middle of a community garden has really been inspiring! It is really amazing watching all the gardens grow, the different types of food, the way people plant and maintain to how the food grows in different soil conditions. Building soil is so important and will be a focus from now throughout the fall. We have an abundance of compost! Now on another note: I wanted to share these pictures as I saw some pretty beautiful things at the garden and one of them was this once black plastic potato challenge bucket turned into a potato mansion! Now only Mr. Potato head was home at the time..but word on the street is that the entire family just love their new home!

 This is the next stage for the artichoke going to seed! The tips as you can see have started to brown.

We have been quite crafty with finding used thrown out materials and using them for our squash to climb and show off their beauty!

Some more refabing!

Baby cucumbers... perfect for pickling!

More!

Green tomatoes on their way! Notice the hay on the ground?? This helps with mulching, keeping water in the soil and preventing it from evaporating and will provide nutrients back into the soil! Did I mention it is pretty good at helping keep the weeds under control too!

Bean Hills!

Here is a little eye spy with my little eye!! Ok so as much as most people dislike weeds they can sometimes be beneficial too! Our sweet crop of tomatoes have been protected from their neighbours and have not been harmed by slugs or any of their other enemies! We will be going through and placing hay soon so we can string up and secure these babies!!

Ok this is one of my favourites! Tomatillos=delicious! I love these pictures too, so I thought I should share:)

 Flowers are also edible this is an example of a garden that is so pretty but totally edible too! I love nasturtiums!

Our view from the CSA!

Other people at the community garden have made tributes to loved ones... It is so awesome to walk into the CSA passing all the garden beds knowing there has been so much care and love put into them!

Well thats all for now! Thanks for stoping by!
-Dayna
helping you grow

Mid Season Harvest and Seed talk!

We are loving the heat and so too are our vegetables and fruits! This weeks basket was full of garden wonders and...wonderful!! This will be the last of the kolrahbi for the Fraser Valley and the CSA for 2012 as they are large and some have started to seed. In fact a lot of vegetables and herbs have gone to seed. But thats totally ok! WE LOVE SEEDS:) We love them because we eat most of them or use them for flavour to spice our dishes and of course we also use them to grow more food for the next season!!We hope to save a lot of seeds this year to share with our community!!

Saving seeds is actually pretty fun and watching them turn to seeds is so so so beautiful, intact I would say sometimes even more beautiful because they flower and change so much it brings new beauty into the garden! Ok so continuing with the seed topic.. most of the food we eat are actually seeds! Think about it... beans, peas, coriander, quinoa, lentils, rice...etc..it's kinda crazy when you actually think about it! Ok so in this weeks basket we put in a tasty treat for our shareholders. We love radish pods so we shared them in the harvest. 

Radish pods (I will post a picture this week.. they are so so beautiful and have such a cool design to them) can be used in salads and also so so so delicious in a stir fry. Also delicious is spinach + Swiss Chard + Kale...see below:)

Help yourself Spinach + Swiss Chard! This ones on us!!

Help your self Kale! This one too!!

This herb package I wrapped with wet paper towel and then I tied them all up with black raffia for a little flare....(We love pretty things:) to keep them crisp and fresh. There is a mix included Oregano, Sage, Mint + Thyme. 

If you find it hard to use mint... try it in your meatballs or tofu balls you won't regret it! Of course there is always a mojito, lemonade oooohhh or raspberry/lemonade or your water.. so refreshing!

I can't wait for next week.. hmmm I wonder what wonderful wonders will be in the basket???

-Dayna

Summer Harvest Basket and recipe

Summer is moving along nicely and we are loving the harvest! Although we have had a really tough season and lost a lot of our crops due to rain, pour conditions and of course our garden enemies (aka slugs + snails!) we have still been able to grow some beautiful vegetables to share and enjoy! The pictures below are from yesterdays harvest box. Kohlrabi, Swiss Chard, Broccoli, Fava beans, Plums, Blueberries, Artichokes, Herbs... Below I have put in a wonderful summer recipe for you to enjoy! 

If you received Artichoke and are wondering what the heck to do try this: Steam your Artichoke until it turns nice and dark green

Make a dip to share using mayo (homemade if possible) basil, oregano, time, S+Pepper you can also use Sour cream or another base.

Once your Artichoke is cooked, you then start to pull off the leaves and eat the "white" base part of the artichoke and enjoy!

 Swiss Chard: Check out the recipe below for inspiration!

Beautiful!

Jason weighing all the produce

These beautiful potatoes we grew, the seeds came from Laura's step-father (who recently passed 2012) that she so generously let us plant. We will save some of the potatoes from this year to continue planting in memory of Clarence. Thank you Laura!

Swiss Chard, Beet and Kohlrabi Salad with Caramelized Pecans and Raspberry Vinaigrette

When I was growing up, Swiss chard and kohlrabi were completely unfamiliar to me. My aunt served this salad recently, and I was so impressed I begged for the recipe. Colourful, tasty, and full of different textures, it's also fantastically healthy. This salad makes an impressive party side, or even a main course for up to four people. Swiss Chard, Beet and Kohlrabi Salad with Caramelized Pecans and Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad: 1 bunch Swiss chard - choose a red-stemmed chard or combine red and yellow. Use chard that is less than 10 inches tall so that the stems are relatively fine. Aim for 3 cups chopped chard. 1 fresh kohlrabi - about the size of a tennis ball 1/4 cup red onion 2 baby beets – aim for 1/2 cup total 1/4 cup dried cherries 1/4 cup dried pumpkin seeds 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/2 cup halved pecans 1 tbsp pure maple syrup (or brown sugar) 1 tbsp butter Heat butter and maple syrup in a frying pan until the butter sizzles and add the pecan halves. Stir continuously for about 3 minutes, then place the pecans on a cookie sheet to cool. Pull the chard apart into individual stems/leaves and finely slice across the leaves. Peel and dice the kohlrabi to about 1 cm pieces. Peel and dice the beets to about the same size. Finely sliver the red onion. Mix all of this with the dried cherries, pumpkin seeds, and feta in a large bowl. Add the cooled pecans to the top of each portion. Vinaigrette: 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 tbsp honey 1 scant tbsp Dijon mustard 3 tbsp red wine vinegar (or good balsamic vinegar) 1 tsp fresh lime juice salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup fresh raspberries (frozen, thawed berries work too) Combine the dressing ingredients in a food processor, and work to a liquid state. Drizzle this over the prepared salad and toss, or over each portion, and serve. and Enjoy!!

This last picture I took from one of our Artichocke beds we are letting this one go to seed. When food goes to seed it is truly so beautiful. I just had to share this one with all of you! - Dayna