Roots and Shoots Farm - 15th Week of CSA Food 2011

As half share participants in Roots and Shoots Farm's CSA program, this is our last food basket of the 2011 season. It has been a wonderful summer of produce for us and we have been very pleased to be associated with a certified organic farm. Particularly this farm. Their constant care and attention over 'my food' in the fields amplifies why I am feeling melancholy about this milestone of lasts.

What has resonated loudly with me is the strength of the farm team. Steely determination and unwavering resolve appears to be the motto at Roots and Shoots Farm. I lived in a rural farm setting for 15 years. I get how much work it can be and how sometimes Mother Nature will hijack your agenda, despite your best efforts.

Thankfully, Roots and Shoots Farm will be participating in the indoor market at Lansdowne on Nov 20, 27 and Dec 4, 18.

We have been CSA members with them for the two seasons they have been in business and we plan to continue with them again next summer.

OBSERVATIONS FROM THIS SEASON:

• I love kale. Last year I didn't know much about kale. Kale intimidated me. I now pine for kale. And when I get it, whether it is Russian Red or Tuscan or some other variety, I have lots of ideas for my kale.
• The farm made improvements in the weekly communication. It was great to hear what had happened over the week. Their challenges, their strategies, their future plans. It helps to get the list of basket contents ahead of time. That extra day allows for planning and complementary shopping to round out the food supply.
• There were many wonderful recipes shared with the weekly newsletter. Some we tried and some we used as inspiration. Even though I am a happy kitchen person and now a CSA sophomore, I still appreciated this direction. Freshmen would have been even more delighted, I am sure.
  
• I would love to get more specific information about the varieties for plants and produce. As an easy example, all potatoes aren't equal. Some are better for baking. Some better for boiling. Etc. The same can be said about radishes and beets and lettuces, etc. Even garlic. Some garlics are stronger than others. Knowing the varieties allows me to use the produce to best show off its great taste. I hesitate to suggest things that involve extra work by the farm team since I prefer them in the field vs. on the computer, but maybe there could be a static page on the website that shows a picture of the plant and its name. I am happy to help with that too.
• This year I am more relaxed about not knowing what was coming in my food basket until the day is almost upon us. I have become a better planner around this 'black box competition' challenge. I have learned to embrace the uncertainty. No one is more surprised by that breakthrough than me. We Type A people do have our issues.
• I felt that the produce was consistently better this year.
• I found the size of the basket suited me and our family well.
• I did a better job of prepping the food once I picked it up. Cleaning produce well before putting it away and wrapping well what needed to have its moisture preserved. I was surprised at how long some things lasted. But who knows how old things are already when you buy them in the grocery store. My CSA food is picked same day or sometimes the day before.
  
• I liked that the farm had a stand at my drop-off to allow me to make extra purchases or to go there on my off week to shop for their produce.
• I liked getting extra news and pictures on the Roots and Shoots Farm Facebook page.
• I liked the Swap Box. I only used it once. I traded bok choy for a red cabbage. I am greedy about red cabbage. I did try to stick with my basket and not do trades. I accepted that this was likely the best way I would learn about something I had not tried before.
• I wished I had done more freezing. I did not really get much further than my usual of freezing soups. This is my challenge for next year. Unrelated to this farm's produce, I did freeze big batches of pesto in tiny jars and also many tiny jars of minced garlic in olive oil.
• I wished I had done more preserves this year. Unrelated to this farm's produce, I did peach and red pepper relish and also tomato sauce and tomato juice.
• I was most successful with using my produce when I figured out its destination dish as soon as the basket came home. "Hey Mr. Napa Cabbage! You are going to become coleslaw with Bobby Flay's famous dressing." Done.
• I have found a few CSA members that are blogging a bit about their food and I also have a few friends that have joined Roots and Shoots Farm this season. I would love to be a part of a more active network of those using the same CSA basket. There were times when I wanted to shout out to someone, "What are you planning to do with those Hakurei Turnips this week?"

Did you participate in a CSA program this summer? How did you enjoy it? What did you learn? About the produce? About yourself and how you engage with food?

What a beautiful Thanksgiving CSA basket to close out my season. Enjoy the pictures.


Carrots


Brussel sprouts


Celery


Lettuce greens


Hakurei turnips


Tuscan kale


Beets


Red onions


Potatoes


Butternut squash


Garlic



If you want to learn more about the farm, the contact information for Roots and Shoots Farm is:
ROBIN TURNER
robin@rootsandshootsfarm.com
www.rootsandshootsfarm.com
613.897.8975

Turkey Dinner and the Super Delicious Piping Hot Gravy

My turkey dinner menu is non-negotiable. I cater to the guests favourites. This is not the time for me to get creative with the dishes. So in that way it is an easy meal to prepare. It becomes a buffet of everyone's wants.

At best, I can play around with how I make the turkey. I usually brine it and this year I tried Martha Stewart's cheesecloth method. These two things are supposed to be about making the meat juicy and flavourful. Who could object to that?

But there must be mashed potatoes for the teenager and roast potatoes for the MIL. The mister wants the stuffing and the teenager insists it is the 'usual' recipe from my side of the family tree. The 10 cent braised red cabbage (rødkål) is something I insist on and would feel hollow without it. The basic steamed peas and carrots are also the request of the teenager. After all, Grandma always made them with any roast meal. The MIL has a soft spot for the roasted parsnips and carrots. So before you can get any kind of fancy, the plate is full.

Other visiting guests have wanted squashes. But not this time.

Typically there isn't a big interest in anything cranberry. This year I sprung for Michael Sunderland's michaelsdolce™ Cranberry and Apricot jam. We all loved it with the meat.

There is plenty of choice, it is simple, and the plate is full. In the end, in my opinion, it comes down to piping hot delicious gravy. My gravy recipe is timeless and something that has been done my way for some 20 plus years. It now is the family tradition.

Christmas is 76 days away. Tuck this recipe in a safe spot and give it a try with your December turkey.

* I used potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and red cabbage from Roots and Shoots Farm for our Thanksgiving dinner.

TURKEY GRAVY FOR 12

Giblet Stock
Turkey neck and giblets
1 1/2 cup white wine (I use Gewürztraminer)
4 1/2 turkey stock (or chicken)
1 big stick of celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 small cooking onions, chopped

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan. Make sure the turkey stock is cool to start and not hot. This is important for drawing out the flavours from the neck and giblets. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer for 3 hours. Strain out the juice from the giblets and vegetables. It should measure about 4 cups.





Gravy
8 tablespoons fat from the drippings of the roasted turkey
12 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Giblet stock
Pan drippings from roasted turkey, fat skimmed off
Turkey stock (chicken stock or white wine or vegetable water from boiled potatoes or peas and carrots), as required

Scrap the pan drippings into a bowl. The fat will rise to the top. Skim off all the fat and leave the flavourful, dark pan drippings for later. If you don't have enough fat from the roast, use butter as well.

Pour the giblet stock into the roasting pan and bring to a boil in order to de-glaze the pan. There will still be a lot of flavour stuck to the bottoms and sides.

Heat turkey fat in a saucepan. But make sure it doesn't get too hot or it will start to burn and also burn the flour. Whisk in the flour. Cook it for at least a minute to remove the raw flour flavour. It is important that the flour is totally covered in the fat to avoid lumps. This is called a roux.

Add 1 1/2 cup of the giblet stock and whisk. When adding liquids to a roux, it is important that they are not chilled since the roux is hot and you will cause the roux to 'cease'. Adding the liquid in stages means that the liquid will incorporate into the roux more easily. Continue to add in batches until all the giblet stock is used. Add the pan drippings that have been separated from the fat.

Bring your gravy to a boil to thicken. The thickness of a gravy is a personal thing. I will now add turkey stock (or chicken) to bring the gravy to the consistency our family enjoys. Sometimes I add a bit more wine. The water from the boiled potatoes or peas and carrots are also great liquids to use for finishing your gravy to get it to your desired consistency.

I don't typically do this with gravy but I like to for turkey gravy. I put the gravy through fine sieve into another pot, working the sieve with a whisk to push all the goodness through. This is mainly due to the 'chunks' of drippings from the roasting pan. I like a very silky turkey gravy. On the off chance you had problems with lumps, this will catch those too.



I roast my turkey the day before I serve it. I also make the gravy the day before. This allows me the time to fuss as much as I want with the gravy as I am not under a time crunch. I think that extra day really does wonderful things for the flavour of the gravy. Much like a stew or chili or soup that sits for a day.

I use turkey stock from the Glebe Meat Market in my giblet stock recipe. They sell 500 mL bags. Sometimes fresh, sometimes frozen. Because I make the turkey the day before serving, I also make turkey stock that day once I have the meat off the carcass. If I need to thin out my gravy for the meal, I will use the turkey stock that I made the day before with the roast and the gravy starter.



Serve your gravy piping hot.

Savour Stratford - Tasting Awards

Those of you who know me, know that I shy away from food tasting events. The kind of events where the masses throng confined spaces to rush their movable feast of dozens of tastings at breakneck speeds before the spoils are too picked over.

Trying to juggle a plate, sometimes of an odd shape, with a wine glass, napkin and camera can be a bit tricky.

I usually prefer enjoying a chef's creations in his or her dining room, where the setting is much more leisurely and the food preparation and plating gets full attention and care.

700 tickets were sold for Savour Stratford's main event. It is the most challenging of conditions for chefs to work in. It is a tented outdoor setting. One never knows the temperature. Last year it was freezing, this this year warm enough that the wasps were keen to explore. The workstation is makeshift and confining. And the order of the day is to present a food idea that showcases one's talent, can be assembled with ease, is manageable for the taster, and can be put out as fast as the sold-out crowd descends.

So what was I doing in the Tasting Tent at Savour Stratford last Sunday afternoon? Two words. VIP ticket. The general admission was $75 - a pretty respectable price for 30 plus tastings. It also included a selection of beverages - craft beer, Ontario wines, coffee, tea. (Ottawa's Feast of Fields a few weeks earlier sold tickets for $70 and had 20 farmer-chef teams.) For an extra $40 I could call myself 'VIP'. The biggest plus for being VIP? I was graced with a 'food rush handicap' of 60 minutes to do my tortoise race at a more leisurely pace and with a wee bit of elbow room.

Some may think that $40 is a lot of money to pay for space around you but I should mention we also received a swag bag. The snappy looking black event bag itself retailed for $6. The 50 gr. spice blend by well-known Kitchen Connaisseur sells for $6.50. The 125 ml jar of Crock Pickle Relish by Pickles Eh! sells for $3.50. There were a number of winery tours and tastings certificates (harder to use for an out-of-towner like me), soap, a darling wine cup, bottle opener. I could go on. It now doesn't seem like I paid THAT much more for my head start and breathing space.

The Tasting event was judged by Connie DeSousa, Chuck Hughes, Ivy Knight, Suresh Doss, and Kris Holden-Reid. I felt they made solid choices. I tasted them all except the winner of Best Beverage.


People's Choice Award - Pickled heirloom tomato with garlic and herbed cheese on a fried wonton finished with micro sprouts
By: Chef Jamie Craig, Wildstone Bar & Grill with Miss Fosters Popcorn and Good Luck Farms


Best Meat Dish - "Porkapoluza" [Corn tortillas made with pork lard, Berkshire bacon jam, Habanero smoked Tamworth pork belly, Fermented pico de gallo, Salt-cured Berkshire loin shavings and Pork crackling] *** My choice for best over all ***
By: Chef Nick Benninger of Nick and Nat's Uptown 21 with Perth Pork Products


Best Vegetarian Dish - Weth Mushroom Tostada with Tomatillo Salsa & Sour Cream
By: Chef Aaron Linley, Bijou with Weth Mushrooms

Most Creative Dish - Butternut Squash Ice Cream with Black Walnut Shortbread and David Koert's Organic Maple Butter
By: Chef Mark Brown, Stone Maiden Inn with Koert Organics

Best Dessert - C'est Bon Chevre Panna Cotta
By: Chef Rene Delafranier, Rene's Bistro with C'est Bon Cheese Limited

Best Beverage - Ontario Savoury Herbal Tea
By: Tea Sommelier, Karen Hartwick from Tea Leaves Tea Tasting Bar

I do want to highlight one other entry.


My Personal Honourable Mention - Arincini Balls [Risotto ball stuffed with braised pork. Fried then topped with fontina and smoky tomato & bacon jam.]
By: Chef Sean Collins & Greg Kuepfer, Pazzo Restorante and Pizzeria with Church Hill Farm

Despite not being cut out for these types of events, I had a great time. I loved the food. I was thrilled that they had decent weather and not the forecasted rain. To feed 700 people in such a short time under non-traditional cooking and plating conditions, was impressive. By the time I headed out, the place was packed!

Hats off to the organizers, chefs, farmers and their teams. Savour Stratford overall was an impressive event. You are fully deserving of your provincial and national recognition. Well done.

Things I liked:

• A VIP ticket was available for those wanting to be less crowded. For a bit.
• The program listed the names of the Farmer-Chef Culinary Teams with the details of the dish they were going to serve.
• The swag bag was given at the end. Nice not to have one more thing to juggle.
• There were decent items in the swag bag.
• There were a number of well placed water coolers
  
• There was an opportunity to meet a number of the producers on Saturday and Sunday in the Farmers' Market nearby. I often feel the producers get short shrifted on these types of events. Understandably, there is so much glamour around the actual dish created, when the glory maybe should go to those who provided the raw ingredients. Because of the crowds and the need to be moving the yummies along as they are plated, there really is no time to engage in any depth of conversation with the farmers. As a result, I so appreciated being able to spend time with the producers at their stands in the market.

Opportunities:

• Consider providing clear signage in the Farmers' Market for those participating in the Tasting Tent. I just fell across this information in conversation with a number of them. It is an opportunity to give them some more airtime. Perhaps other Tasting Tent visitors would make a point of checking out their farmers beforehand.
• 30 tastings is plenty. I risked not feeling well from all the richness. I skipped 5 booths just to be on the safe side. (All be it they were two teas, a coffee, jams and chocolate - I know, bad call.) There was no room for liquor on top of all of that. I didn't dare. Congrats to those who could do both. So in that sense, I did not maximize my ticket price.
• Push quality over quantity. I felt some tastings were a bit light on creativity.
• On the lighter side....I know this one will never fly, but here it goes. Maybe for us 'VIP's, you could load us on a golf cart at the end of the event and chariot us back to our car where we could decompress for a bit. As predicted, I was tuckered out going solid from 9 am to 3 pm. I was super stuffed. Thankfully, stone cold sober.

Interested in seeing the full selection of wonderful food tastes? Enjoy the slide show.