For the past few weeks, the weather in Wolfville has been quite cold. We have had days where we were snowed in, followed by freezing rain and snowstorms. So, on days where going outside doesn’t seem like the greatest of ideas, I enjoy cleaning around my apartment and cooking! During the winter, squash are my go-to vegetables as they are always available. I have come up with a butternut squash soup recipe that is sure to warm our cold souls! In addition to being delicious, this recipe is very simple and easy to execute.
Ingredients
2tbsp butter or margarine
2 small onions, minced
3 cups peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash
5 cups of chicken stock (can be replaced with vegetable stock)
1½ cups of cubed potatoes
salt and pepper to taste
chives and whipping cream (optional) for garnishing
Optional toppings: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, pea shoots
Instructions
In a large saucepan, melt the butter or margarine. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the squash, your choice of stock and the potatoes and bring the to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan and let simmer until all the vegetables are soft,about 35 minutes.
Using a food processor or a blender, process the soup until it is smooth.
Transfer the soup back into the pan and season with salt and pepper.
Serve the soup warm with a small amount of cream and herbs as garnish. Enjoy!
Welcome Coralie!
Coralie N’Djoré is originally from Montréal and is a third year student studying Nutrition at Acadia. Her interest in nutrition and food as a whole has lead her to change her degree from Psychology to Nutrition in her first year of university. She enjoys trying new foods from various parts of the world and creating new recipes.
Look for more posts on meal planning and local food coming from Coralie soon!
This helpful summary report covers what GMO crops are grown in Canada, what GM crops are grown in the world, GM crops imported into Canada, what GM crops are not on the market, and GM crops that could be next.
The report was shared as a pdf so I cropped it so it's easier to read on mobile.
Friends of mine often ask me how I source food and plan my weekly meals, so I'd start with how I shop for local food. On Friday's I use our HarvestHand CSA Software platform which powers the TaprootFarms.ca website and the HarvestHand Shopping List tool which runs WolfvilleFarmersMarket.ca/whatsfresh to plan my meals for Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. On Tuesday, since I currently have the small veggie CSA share (for info about CSA's, see 'What is a CSA') from Taproot Farms, I order the rest of my week's groceries online through the add-on products section at TaprootFarms.ca (only available to Taproot CSA members). Here's what my weekly shopping flow looks like:
Step 1: Go to http://taprootfarms.ca/shares to see what I received in my vegetable share this week and to see what I will get next week in my vegetable share.
Step 2: Go to http://www.taprootfarms.ca/newsletter to find recipe ideas that I can make with my CSA veggie share. I'll often read recipe blog posts from Halifax Food Bloggers, Kitchen Vignettes or Food 52 for inspiration. If I have specific vegetables, meat or grains I need to cook, I'll use Food Gawker to find a recipe or idea for how to combine ingredients I already have.
Step 3: Go to http://www.wolfvillefarmersmarket.ca/whatsfresh to see what's available at the market on Saturday and make a list of items I still need for meals. I am very excited about this because I often find that I get overwhelmed at the market without a list and I can never possibly know what's available in a given week. Is asparagus season over? Is it not? I never know. It's also a fun way to explore what's available and think about how I can combine it with stuff I have and the recipes I've been perusing.
Step 4: Email or print my shopping list. Usually I email my list to myself because I make it on my laptop and use my email on my phone to check my list. Sometimes I'll make the list on my phone so I don't have to email to myself and so I can make my list with one hand sorting through my fridge and or pantry.
On Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, I top up my CSA share produce by buying additional products through the Taproot website that I will then pick up with my CSA veggie share on Wednesday.
Step 1: Buy groceries online from Taproot's Add-Ons. To do this I login into my Taproot Farms account (only available to Taproot Farm members - see membership options- become a member here), select what I want, and pay for it. My order will be waiting for me with my veggie share on Wednesday.
Why Shopping this Way Makes Sense to Me
Making the shift to buying mostly local food requires more planning because naturally you eat much less processed (fast) foods and cook more delicious slow food (good, clean, fair). I love shopping and living this way. These tools enable me to think and plan ahead, choose carefully the food I eat, and look back at what I ate throughout the year. As a bonus, I tend to feel more healthy and full of energy because I've eaten well. I also tend to waste less food because I only buy what I need. Plus every week feels like Christmas when I open my CSA box to see all of the yummy food inside it.
Please share with your local media (newspapers, magazines, blogs etc.) See also ways to get involved.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CSA FARMS CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL CSA SIGN-UP DAY FEBRUARY 28
WOLFVILLE, NS (February 25, 2015):
Farms from around the world are celebrating International CSA Sign-Up Day on February 28. The day encourages consumers to buy a share of their local farm’s harvest for the 2015 season, a buying model known as Community Shared (Supported) Agriculture, or CSA.
CSA has become an important model to support local agriculture since it was introduced first introduced to the United States in the 1980s and since grown to over 14,000 farms around the world. To join a CSA, members buy a share of the harvest in the winter and spring and then get a box of local produce each week throughout the year.
“Who’s your farmer reads the Taproot Farms van. I’ll never forgot the first day I read that and Googled Community Shared Agriculture, it changed my life. As a CSA member I have the opportunity to get the the freshest, tastiest local produce as well as have a direct connection with a farmer and fellow CSA members. What’s more, by investing in a CSA share I can directly help reduce how far food travels, ensure that I know where my food comes from and what’s in it, and know that I am supporting my local economy and the next generation of farmers.” says Duncan Ebata, Food Community Builder at HarvestHand, a technology company that works with CSA farms to grow their communities.
February 28th was chosen as International CSA Sign-up Day because this day is the most popular day to sign up for CSA shares according to the US based 2014 CSA Farming Report. Buying a CSA share in late winter is important for farmers who are making the capital investments for this year’s harvest now. The CSA model means they do not need to finance these costs taking on debt.
Quotes from CSA Farmers
Patricia Bishop, Taproot Farms, Port Williams, Nova Scotia
“ We use the CSA model because we needed immediate support when we started in 2009 to make it on the farm. The community has been supporting us. We deeply value the community, the connection and the shared values with our members.” - Patricia Bishop
“The CSA model has helped us to start farming and provide a living for our family. Although we had farming experience, we did not inherit or own a farm and the CSA model has helped to provide the cash flow and support we needed to get started. This model is also very rewarding as it helps create meaningful connections between us and our customers. Members enjoy the connection to the farm, the access to fresh healthy food along with the sense of anticipation, surprise and adventure that goes with getting a weekly box of produce. They often equate it to getting a Christmas box every week. The CSA model is good for everyone." says Tim Livingstone, owner of Strawberry Hill Farm in Woodstock, New Brunswick.”
This recipe is super easy and delicious. Roasted rutabaga is my one of my favourite winter foods. Last week I also made roasted rutabaga fries with dried thyme, salt and pepper, and a drizzle of honey. If you don't like the bitterness that rutabaga sometimes has, try drizzling it with honey. I am going to try thyme, tarragon, and smoked paprika rutabaga fries next.
I love squash. I tend to roast it or make soup. If I roast it, I'll often put some mixture of herbes de provence (rosmary thyme, sage, marjoram etc.), apples, walnuts, butter, cheese (often soft goat cheese), cranberries, kale, wild rice, mushrooms, and lentils. If I make squash soup, I usually go for North African spices. Selah Koile's "How to Make Awesome Soup with Whatever you Have" has time and time again proved to be invaluable, and it was while I was snowed in.
Other Yummy Looking Winter Recipes for next Snow Day:
