Please be sure to read the wavier on our website when you log in. It reminds you that items placed your shopping cart are automatically saved (there is no 'checkout' button).
Items you order this week are to be picked up at First United Church on Friday July 23rd between 3:30 PM and 7:00 PM. Ordering will end on Tuesday July 20th, 2010 at 8:00 PM
*** Mark Sunday, August 15th on you calendar for Bailey's Picnic Pot Luck in Waterloo Park! We have reserved the Servery by the Bandshell for our group! More details to come!
Message from Rachael:
Be sure to order enough tasty food for 2 weeks! We will not have a pickup on July 30th due to the loooong weekend and will be back to our regular schedule on August 6th.
After this week the ordering window will be from FRIDAY at 11pm until Tuesday at 8pm. The next order will start FRIDAY July 30th at 11 pm and will remain open until Tuesday August 3rd at 8pm.
Cheers,
Rachael
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Message from Nina:
Dear Lovers of Local Food,
I will not write again about our delicious sausages over the fire for supper last night. What I will tell you about is the amazing cream of green soup Matthew made on Tuesday. He said he took everything green out of the fridge that needed using (shelling peas, zucchini, spinach) cooked them until soft and then blended them with milk, salt and pepper. It sounds bland but it was not. Our two year old even ate it after we gave him a straw with which to suck it up. Not a quiet meal, but they never are.
Gratitude caused me to make two big pans of lasagna on the weekend. My parents took our kids so we could go to a friend's wedding reception - and stay late. I've had sheets of pasta dough in the freezer waiting for me from when I made noodles this Winter. I didn't boil them first so I didn't
know if they would work but they were perfect! For the cheese I used ricotta cheese and cottage cheese from Local Dairy mixed with Old Cheddar from Millbank. In the tomato sauce I combined extra lean ground beef from Traditional Foods and canned Aylmer tomatoes (from Valumart).
Next I steamed a big pile of kale and chopped it fine for a layer of greens. It turned out lovely. Pretty much gourmet, I'd say. I think lasagna is all about the cheeses and the cheeses I used were primo so
the lasagna was primo. Now I still have one lasagna in the freezer waiting for an emergency - or company, whichever comes first.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are coming! The first cherry tomatoes are ready this week. Soon we'll be able to offer you a wide variety of tomatoes including heirloom slicers for those toasted tomato sandwiches that I overdose on every August.
Blueberries
I'm so happy it is blueberry season. Did you know that from Waterloo you have to drive an hour to get to a blueberry patch (near Simcoe)? The only exception to this that I know of is Walkers near New Hamburg. There, next to a small forest are the friendly rows of blueberry bushes all standing from 6-10 feet high. And they're even organic!
Blueberries are tricky to grow as they require acidic soil and the birds can pick a bush clean before the farmer has a chance to harvest them. Blueberries are also one of the most pleasurable fruits to pick because you do not have to bend over or climb up anything. They're also one of the easiest
fruits to freeze. Just throw them in the bag and freeze them.
Here is a message from the folks at Little City Farm:
Greetings from Little City Farm in Kitchener!
These days, our garden is in full production and herb harvest is at hand. Our dehydrator is going day and night, our kitchen seedling rack has been converted into a screened herb drying rack, and our greenhouse has turned into a solar herb drying facility. We've hung up a tarp to block out the sunlight, and have herbs drying in neat rows on our shelving, plus hanging in bunches from a long series of hooks on the rafters. Herbs dry quickly in here, as it's dark, breezy and very dry in the greenhouse when the door is left open - ideal conditions for drying herbs to perfection! I remember volunteering as a WWOOFer (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) one summer about ten years ago up at the Algonquin Tea Company in the Ottawa Valley. The experience at Algonquin Tea was probably one of my biggest inspirations for delving further into the world of herbalism, medicinal plants, and wild foods. They had converted a huge old barn loft into their herb drying studio, with rows upon rows of shelving to dry all the plants for the beautiful loose-lea teas they produce.
Today we were harvesting herbs for our teas and salves: bergamot, various mints, lemon balm, catnip, lavender, calendula, red clover, anise hyssop, sage, yarrow, plantain, comfrey, oregano, thyme, marshmallow leaf, sweet grass, sacred (tulsi) basil, plus plenty of pesto basil and wild grape leaves to eat. It's amazing to see the abundance available on our urban property!
Wonderful medicinal herbal teas can be made as hot infusions or as iced cups of teaâ€"benefit from the medicinal value of your herbs while enjoying a warming tonic, or cool summer beverage. To make the perfect cup of tea, follow these simple instructions:
Hot Infusion Method
To gain the full medicinal value of your herbs they should be steeped in water that has just boiled, for at least 5-15 minutes. Longer steeping time extracts more of the herb value. We like to steep 1-2 tsp of dried herbs in a tea pot or glass mason jar. Sweeten with honey or maple syrup if desired. Once made, these teas can be taken hot or cooled and used throughout the day as a refreshing drink.
Iced Tea or Sun Tea Method
Herbal iced tea can be made by regular tea infusion that is allowed to cool, or by a solar infusion (sun tea). Steep 1-2 tsp dried herbs in large glass mason jar, covered and set warm sunny window or full outdoor sunlight for at least 12 hours. Allow tea to achieve desired strength and flavour. Sweeten with to taste with honey, agave, maple syrup, sugar, or stevia, serve with ice cubes, and garnish with fresh fruit or edible flowers. Beautiful & delicious!
Enjoy your summer!
Karin, Greg and Maya
from Little City Farm
www.littlecityfarm.ca
Follow our blog to learn more about our urban homesteading life:
www.littlecityfarm.blogspot.com
This week look for:
- cherry tomatoes
- blueberries for now and for the freezer
- cheeses for lasagna
- peas, spinach and zucchini for a Cream of Green soup
- grainharvest rye bagels
- chevre to spread on the bagels
Nina
Bailey's Local Foods
www.baileyslocalfoods.ca
P.S. We can use your fruit boxes, baskets and jars from preserves again if you return them.
Is this your first email from us? Read more at baileyslocalfoods.blogspot.com.
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