Here, for you my harvest-loving friend, is a compendium of how I managed to stash the summer treats for winter eats. May you eat like a queen or king all fall and winter long, what with this bounty within arms reach here in Alberta. And continue on with your Putting Up the Harvest Efforts! The season has only just begun. Go deal hunting at your favourite local farmers market; pick up a few bags of locally grown produce while out at the grocery store; by supporting local and stashing for the winter months, you are contributing to the local economy, packing in the local bounty, vitamins and minerals, and supporting a smaller scale producer and inadvertently upping the nutritional ante of your meals, nutrients-wise. Bon appetit! And share this page with ones you think may need some harvesting-kick-in-the-pants. Now, GO PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!
Read moreA MONTH OF PUTTING UP THE HARVEST - Day 20
Blue Mountain Biodynamic Farm's glorious first cabbages of the season! #harvest2015
Harvest season is well underway, and this next chunk of time is perhaps one of the busiest for most farmers. It is also one of my favourite times in the harvest, as it is when the good big cabbages start rolling in, and all other longer season vegetables and fruits start to show up at farmers' markets and stalls, as well as grocery stores. The humble cabbage is, in my opinion, one of the best vegetables out there. It is prized for its ability to ward off scurvy (meaning VITAMIN C rich it be), high in fibre which can mean many things from improving your visits to the bathroom to assisting in lowering cholesterol and facilitating the exit of excess hormones. It is high in glucosinolates which have been shown to be protective against cancers, and they have anti-inflammatory properties to boot. Cabbages are especially good and helpful for stomachs and intestinal linings, so if you have one or both of these, I'd say eating cabbage is a good bet for you.
Read moreA MONTH OF PUTTING UP THE HARVEST - Day 17
Parsley, lovage and leeks, destined for salt preservation. #harvest2015
There is a french expression "sauve-garder" which when translated, means "to back up". If you translate it literally, it would mean to save and guard, or save and keep. So today's post is in the spirit of sauve-garder, or save and guarding in order to keep. This is a new-to-me method of putting up the harvest, preserving herbs in salt!
Read moreA MONTH OF PUTTING UP THE HARVEST - Day 15
Zucchini giant circa 2015.
Happy Friday! I trust this note finds you well in the throes of putting up the harvest for the summer. In our parts, it appears summer is almost ready to make a quick exit, but only for a brief time so if you haven't done so already and are able to and find yourself in southern Alberta, you may want to cover the crops tonight. They're calling for that dreaded F word...
Read moreA MONTH OF PUTTING UP THE HARVEST - Day 14
Today is a good day for a harvest picking. It's also a good day for a BBQ. So let's harvest and make a BBQ sauce for said BBQ day, yes? But not just any kind of BBQ sauce, one using ingredients that are plentiful this time of year as a way to preserve that goodness. Enter, the humble rhubarb stalk and ye delicious tart apple from yonder tree.
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