Feature Farmer – North Star Organics
They are a 10 acre certified organic farm growing a huge variety of vegetables and berries in their greenhouses and fields in Central Saanich. All of their food is sold in the Victoria area. They are certified organic by Island Organic Producers Association (IOPA), #1960.
What does growing certified organic food mean to them? It’s their promise to provide safe, nutritious food grown in ways that steward the soil, improve biodiversity, and provide fair employment to the people working at the farm.
You can find their produce at local farmers markets (Moss St Market, Esquimalt Farmers Market), from the small grocers we supply, as well as order online.
This week they’re providing us with carrots and cucumbers.
Cucumbers in March are that hint of summer that hit the spot and tide us over until summer, when we can pick them fresh from the garden. New Mediterranean Kitchen has created this chart to provide you with some quick ways to build a cucumber salad.
Another quick salad idea – slice your cukes thinly, toss with tzatziki sauce and serve.
What’s in the bags this week?
Standard ($30.00): org. BC Pugly potatoes, Michell’s *green cabbage, Michell’s yellow onions, North Star *org. carrots, org. BC Ambrosia apples, Navel oranges, org. bananas, pears, Littlest Acre *org. leeks, Romaine
Standard Plus ($40.00): org. BC Pugly potatoes, Michell’s *green cabbage, Michell’s yellow onions, North Star *org. carrots, org. BC Ambrosia apples, Navel oranges, org. bananas, pears, Littlest Acre *org. leeks & lettuce mix
Sustainable ($40.00): org. BC Pugly potatoes, *org. onions, North Star *org. carrots & cucumbers, org. bananas, Littlest Acre leeks, *org. West Coast Garlic, org. BC Cremini mushrooms, Littlest Acre *org. mixed lettuce
Cultural ($30.00): BC org. Pugly potatoes, org. Jewel yams, Michell’s *yellow onions, North Star *org cucumbers, Altualfo mango, BC org. Cremini mushrooms, Littlest Acre *org. mixed lettuce
Staples ($30.00): org. BC Pugly potatoes, Michell’s *green cabbage, Michelle’s *yellow onion, North Star *org cucumber, org. BC Ambrosia apples, Navel oranges, org. bananas, Altualfo mango, pears
Fruit ($25.00): org. BC Ambrosia apples, Navel oranges, org. banana, Altualfo mango, pears
BC – Only ($30.00): org. Pugly potatoes, Michell’s *yellow onions, North Star *org. cucumbers, org. Ambrosia apples, BC Cremini mushrooms, *pea shoots, NorthStar *org. braising greens
*local, BC, organic
***Note: Some items may change due to circumstances out of our control but the value of the box will always remain the same.
Wet Weather Reminder — Bring your cloth bags or totes! Don’t forget to bring along your reusable grocery bags or totes to avoid the soggy demise of our paper bags if you’ll be hitting the elements on the way home. Even just getting to the car during this soggy season could be lethal for your produce — we want it to make it all the way home — not playing a game of 10 pin on the sidewalk!
Frustrated by the chaos of your reusable bags?
Check out these simple folding instructions to bring organization to the chaos. This is so obvious yet why are most of battling the bags still? It’s genius. Click here.
Or do you not have enough reusable bags but want to avoid using plastics that are most often found in the bag materials? Make your own and you can toss it in the wash to keep it clean. Click here.
Sunday Night Fridge Clean Out Meals
What do you do with the produce in your fridge that didn’t get used up through the week? We don’t want to waste anything so this is a good opportunity to get creative. Misfits Market has written a blog post on just this topic. You can find it here. They also wrote a post on how to use up the dribs and drabs at the bottom of your dip, spreads and sauce jars. You can find that here.
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In our house, soups and stews are our go to for “clean out the fridge” meals. We’re on a mission currently to eat to the bottom of our fridge and freezer and spend as little on groceries as possible as we save up for some bigger expenses. This is always our goal but we’re tightening the reins. It’s a good way to ensure nothing in your freezer goes to waste as well. Eat Well has created a foundational recipe for those “clean out the fridge” soups. You can find it here. Experiment and let us know if you come up with any delicious combinations in the comments.
Rice, quinoa, other grains or pasta bowls are a fantastic way to use up any straggling produce in the fridge. This week we sautéed some beet and turnip tops, chard, yellow onions from the back of our crisper drawer, then tossed it with the remaining Root Cellar Green Sauce. It was delicious. It would have been just as great mixed with a tomato sauce or balsamic vinegar.
Potato, leek & cabbage soup is another excellent way to use up those potatoes that might be growing eyes in your pantry and also great for warming up at the end of these still brisk days, even when the sun is out.
Leeks and cabbage are a great addition to stir fries or sautéed and added to soups, to add an extra depth of flavour.
Save more money and eat healthy by avoiding the temptation to snack at the corner store on our way home or grab a bag of chips while we’re grocery shopping by filling up between meals – it’s a great way to use up your apples, bananas and other fruit and veggies that come in your bags.
We keep a small container in our car with a cutting board, knife and spoons for such occasions that can come back and forth to the car with us to be washed and replenished, so we’re always at the ready.
Source: Wisdom of the Woods Facebook page.
It’s a great time of the year for foraging. This both saves money and adds first of spring freshness to your plate. Check out this chart for plants to forage in our area. Remember to forage responsibly to ensure the plant is able to reseed itself and return for years to come.
Another great resource for foraging is The Beginners Guide to Foraging: BC’s Wild Edible Plants. Find that link HERE
***Be sure to check out our other post with community events, learning opportunities & more.