An evening in the life of a celery root
Celeriac, from field to soup pot in 2 hours. There was just something about the way the light was hitting it…
Celeriac, still standing. Things are really winding down now for the season. It is October 21, 2012.
Winter Roots
It is that time of year when the pickin’s from the farm focus on nutritious roots. We have spinach growing very, very slowly in the unheated greenhouse…mostly it is just waiting…waiting for a sunny day, like the rest of us, to feel inspired to stretch out and grow a bit.
There are a few little patches of holdouts of kale and collards in the fields (occasionally you stumble across a few handfuls that still look delicious-a few lucky customers were on the receiving end of such a find last Saturday!), but mostly there are potatoes, carrots, beets, onions, parsnips and some cabbage in the cold storage. The roots. The last vestige of energy and nourishment in the plant kingdom. Our winter sustenance.
Winter is a time to hunker down, curl up, turn in, retreat inside. We almost make like a plant and draw our energy deep inside us to store it and protect it and keep it alive so that in spring…! Well that’s another story! For now, we are rooted in the earth and appreciating it’s grounding balance to the airiness and boundlessness of summer. Savour your deep and quiet moods just as you savour the comfort and deep flavour of warm stews and soups and chicken gravies, all made with potatoes and carrots and beets and onions and parsnips! Roots to keep you rooted.
Down at our market shop, Selwood Green-Norbert’s Good Food, we have root vegetables for sale for your soups and stews and roasting. Norbert has also been cooking up some super delicious Beef Stew w/ Rosemary on Wednesdays, using beef from Getaway Farm. This stew meat practically melts in your mouth and it seems to LOVE root vegetables too! He made a beautiful Sweet Potato with Roasted Root Vegetable Soup last week too. Stop by, he might be willing to share his recipes!
Do you have a favourite root vegetable recipe that you think would knock our socks off this winter? Stop by or drop us a line!
Kids Love Kale!
“I hate kale but this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted!” said our 10 year old daughter Lily as we were eating kale for dinner recently. Although we usually eat a lot of our meals at home we have recently found ourselves gathering round a table at our new shop Selwood Green- Norbert’s Good Food- at the Seaport Farmers Market, at the end of the work/school day. My husband Norbert had grabbed a fresh bunch of kale off the display counter and he whipped us up a delicious meal of kale and mashed potatoes and sausages in no time.
When we cook kale we usually keep it simple. For the kids I choose the Red Russian Kale as it is sweeter and more tender. I steam it for about 10 minutes or so until it is tender to the fork but still vibrant in colour. Add butter and salt and serve it in a little bowl as an appetizer to hungry kids before they fill up on mashed potatoes! Or mix it all together into one big yummy buttery bowl of kale spiked mashed potatoes. Either way, our kids go for it….almost every time (-:
Here at Norbert’s Good Food we offer kale in several ways. We sell several varieties, including the sweet and tender Red Russian variety. They come fresh from our Selwood Green farm several times a week. We also cook it up in several of our All Day Breakfast and Lunch menu items. Check out our Kale Scramble. Scrumptious and nutritious!
Some of the health benefits of kale are:
-kales flavenoids combine antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits in ways that give kale a leading dietary role w/ respect to avoidance of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.
-aids in body’s detoxification system.
-risk lowering benefits for cancer.
We would love to hear about how you and your family enjoy your kale this winter.
Selwood Green 