How to use dried morels

• Fill a small bowl with cold water and add your mushrooms. Use your fingers to swirl them around and remove some soot.  Soot makes the water grey.  
• Change the water and then massage the mushrooms to remove more soot. Change the water and repeat until the water is clear after massaging.  Important to use cold water as it won't extract the flavor of the mushroom.  
• Remove the morels from the water and give them a little squeeze to remove the excess.
• Ready to chop and cook.  Do not eat morels without cooking!

Dried morels work well in sauces, soups, risotto, omelettes or anything that can use the soaking liquid.  A lot of flavorful compounds in morels are fat-soluble or alcohol-soluble so adding some butter or wine will help.  I like to bake chicken thighs and use some of the pan drippings in the morel sauce.

5 Different ways to prepare Zucchini and Summer squash

1. Zucchini Pesto rollups:

This recipe pairs zucchini and sausage with pesto all rolled up in a tasty appie to boot.  

2. Shredded Zucchini salad:

This recipe is a flavorful and an easy way to eat your veggies! Twirl up zucchini strands with each bite of shrimp and pasta for a nutritious, delicious meal the whole family will enjoy.

3.  Tried and True, Zucchini Gratin:

This recipe makes a great tasting casserole and has a million variations possible.

4. Zucchini boats with mushrooms:

This recipe is one of my favorite ways of preparing zucchini. Fill scooped-out halves with a combination of ham, mushrooms, and onions and top with a cheese sauce. The stuffing and sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated. The stuffed zucchini should be assembled the day of serving.

5. Zucchini with Ricotta & Mint appies:  

This recipe makes a delicious, easy appetizer that looks pretty and tastes amazing. The flavors make for a natural pairing and the dish will whet your appetite without filling you up before dinner.

Jerusalem Artichokes aka Sunchokes

Description
Native to North America, these the tubers (roots) come from a certain breed of sunflower. They are not related to the artichoke and have no ties to Jerusalem, although they do have a similar texture to artichoke heart when cooked.  They contain high levels of inulin which can be difficult to digest.  Eating large amounts can lead to gaseous experiences. 

What’s it taste like?
When eaten raw, sunchokes have a satisfying crispness similar to jicama or waterchestnuts. They’re sweet, and are not as starchy as a potato. When cooked they soften up and impart a sweet nutty flavour to dishes they are added to.

How do I use it?
They are delicious sliced raw in salads, roasted like potatoes, and chopped up into bruschetta. They also make a good substitute for jicama and water chestnut and can be added to stir-fries, soups and stews.

Nutrition
Sunchokes are high in dietary fiber and iron, niacin and potassium.   They are also very beneficial for your digestive flora.

Sunchoke and Nettle soup:  

This recipe combines nettles, sunchokes, and wild onions.  Substitute scallions for the ramps.  Blending the nettles really brings out their color.

Sunchoke Bruschetta:

To prepare they are peeled and chopped, which is a bit tedious, and roasted with salt, pepper, and olive oil.  The peel can also be left on, but darkens the Bruschetta.  Out of the oven they were mashed and dressed with chopped garlic and butter.  Onto toasted bread rubbed with fresh garlic and a drizzle of balsamic reduction and they were perfect.

Sunchoke and Kale Hash:

This recipe  combined crispy sunchokes, silky oyster mushrooms, tender kale, and chewy farro.  It's wonderful served with grilled steak or on its own as a meatless main course.  

Veggie Box Details

Veggie Boxes 
Sunnyside Farms provides members with a biweekly box a freshly harvested, biodynamic  vegetables, fruits, and herbs. We do not use any sprays or chemicals, just good organic growing methods - loads of compost and mulch!  Send me an email if you want to participate this year.

Deliveries in 2015
Deliveries will begin on the week of May 26th and end on the week of Oct 6th, for a total of 10 biweekly boxes.  Exact dates will depend on pickup locations and will be figured out soon.  The Tues pickup locations are 887 Prior St and 2504 Dundas St.

Cost
Each veggie box costs $25, for a total of $250.

Payment
The way a CSA program works is that you pay one time at the beginning of the season and in return you receive the freshest produce each week throughout the season.  You can pay by cheque when you pickup your first box or email/direct transfer. Let me know if you want to work out alternative measures.

Box contents
The contents of the veggie boxes change with the season. Each box will have about 10 different items. Examples are as follows:

June - Fava Beans/ Strawberries/ Peas/ Spinach/ Salad Greens/ Arugula/ Rhubarb/ Baby Beets/ Green Onions/  Baby Kale/ Radish/ Swiss Chard/ Salad Turnips/ Stinging Nettles/ Herbs/ Dried Mushrooms/ Frozen Tomatoes

July to August: String Beans/ Beets/ Carrots/ Leeks/ Green Onions/ Kale/ Tomato/ Cucumber/ Sweet Peppers/ Zucchini/ Basil/ Cilantro/ Berries/ Herbs/ Baby Squash/ Fennel/ Garlic Scapes

September to October: Garlic/ Potatoes/ Parsnips/ Pole Beans/  Salad Greens/ Lettuce/ Beets/ Carrots/ Leeks/ Onions/ Kale/ Swiss Chard/ Tomato/ Cucumber/ Zucchini/ Winter Squash/ Cilantro/ Sunchokes/ Herbs/ Wild Mushrooms

Commitment
We leave it up to you to make arrangements in the case that you will be unavailable to receive your veggie box during one of the program dates.  You have a few options: 1) Ask a friend/neighbour to pick up your box in your place (please let us know in advance)… or 2) Give us at least 48 hours notice and we can defer the delivery for one week, but it may be at another location.  Sorry, we cannot offer refunds for missed pick-ups. Boxes that are not picked up will be donated.

Hybrid seeds
We have ordered a bunch of new seeds from West Coast Seeds, including more hybrid varieties of carrots and tomatoes.
The hybrid types are cross bred for sweetness, crispness, color, etc.
They are a tradeoff between original flavor and other desirable traits while remaining GMO free.
We will still plant a large amount of heirloom veggies, but will try to balance this with more typical kinds.

New veggies for 2015
Some of the new plants for this year include:
- Purple sprouting Broccoli.
- Italian Dandelion greens, part of the Chicory family and not related to the weed.
- Sungold orange Cherry Tomatoes.
- Taxi yellow bush Tomato medium size.
- Festival winter Squash small size.

Herbs
Some of my main intentions for the garden this year focus on herbs:
- Growing cilantro in a steadier rotation so it is available more often.
- Increasing the variety of fresh herbs to include Thyme, Dill, and Purple Basil.
- Producing small seedlings of Dill, instead of trying to cut it as it does not keep at all.

Wild Mushrooms
More mushrooms! Each year I have been expanding my foraging areas and can now assure a good supply.
This year I will try to add Pine mushrooms, or Matsutake, as well as White Chanterelles to go along with the Yellow Chanterelles.  There is also going to be smoked Chanterelle powder in one of the early boxes.
More dried mushrooms too.  I have been trying out a bunch of recipes and am really excited to pass them on.

All Hail Kale Caesar and Lovage!

Tender baby kale is wonderful in a salad raw.  If you massage the leaves vigorously a little while, it breaks down some of the fibres, enhancing the sweetness while it tenderizes. This recipe does a neat job making their own dressing and croutons.  I find the dressing easy, but each time I make croutons the results vary.  Skipping the anchovies makes it more vegetarian and adding a bit more Worcestershire sauce will compensate.  We've been eating a lot of this salad at the farm lately, so much that I am planning on planting a bunch more kale for a steady supply.








Lovage is very underrated.  It can be used in cooking as a replacement for celery - one of the dirty dozen veggies for pesticides.  It has a strong flavor and is not pleasant raw.  

The leaves taste like celery and you can add a small handful to soups, stews, vinaigrettes and salads.  A small amount heightens the flavour in recipes allowing you to use less salt in the dish.  If you are new to this herb start off by using a tablespoon or so and see if you like it.  In soup and stew making I use a whole cup of the young leaves and stems and I do not find it too strong. I also add minced lovage to omelets, salads and even vinaigrettes.    

Lovage also freezes well.  Chop it up and freeze in a container or bag.  Proper freezing techniques would tell you to blanch in boiling water and then freeze.  Blanching removes surface bacteria and enzymes which can cause flavour changes during freezing.  

Chanterelles

There are many ways to cook chanterelles. Most of the flavorful compounds in chanterelles are fat soluble, making them good mushrooms to sauté in butter, oil or cream. They also contain smaller amounts of water- and alcohol-soluble flavorings, which lend the mushrooms well to recipes involving wine or other cooking alcohols. Many popular methods of cooking chanterelles include them in sautés, soufflés, cream sauces, and soups. They are not typically eaten raw, as their rich and complex flavor is best released when cooked

Chanterelle Risotto:     

This recipe is a deliciously delicate combination of wild mushrooms and comfort... sort of a refined version of mac and cheese.  If you have chanterelles put away, this will make a great wintry weather soul warmer when you need it the most.

Scrambled Eggs with Chanterelles:

This recipe is a great way to start the day.  Eggs and Chanterelles go very well together.

Caramelized Onion and Chanterelle Quiche:

This recipe is a lofty layering of savory peppery Comté cheese, caramelized onions, and buttery herby sauteed wild chanterelles. It's a heavenly melding that ensures all of the goodies are nicely distributed throughout the silky egg custard. This recipe does require some planning, as the quiche needs at least an hour to cool down once out of the oven. Although torturous to inhale the wondrous aromas while cooling on the kitchen counter, it's worth the wait and makes excellent leftovers.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are surprisingly delicate, we've discovered! Harold McGee in his book On Food and Cooking explains that refrigerating tomatoes damages the membranes inside the fruit walls, causing the tomato to lose flavor and develop the mealy texture we associate with mid-January grocery store tomatoes.

So the best place to store tomatoes is, indeed, on the counter top at room temperature. They actually continue to develop flavor until maturation peaks a few days after picking.

What to do with too many tomatoes?  If you find yourself with just too many gorgeous tomatoes, they can be frozen and accumulated for future sauce making or jamming.

Sautéed baby squash with basil and feta: 

This simple preparation yields delicious results in a versatile side dish. If baby pattypan squash are not available, substitute four cups of thinly sliced zucchini or yellow squash.