Harvest Share Food Box - Weeks 1 & 2

Last Thursday, Helen picked up our first of twenty weekly Food Boxes from Carron Farms Harvest Share Food Box program.

It included:

·         Strawberries – Barrie Hill Farms, Barrie

·         Spinach – Springh Farms, Holland Marsh

·         Romaine Lettuce – Springh Farms, Holland Marsh

·         Garlic Scape – Carron Farms Ltd, Holland Marsh

·         Asparagus – Barrie Hill Farms, Barrie

·         Radishes – Springh Farms, Holland Marsh

·         Yellow Zucchini – Nightingale Farms Ltd, LaSalette

·         Rhubarb – Barrie Hill Farms, Barrie

Family Size gets all of the above in larger quantities, for some items, and the additional following items:

·         Button Mushrooms – Sharon Mushroom Farm, Sharon

·         Green Peppers – Leamington, Ontario

We tried the strawberries first.  Wow!  What a difference.  Fresh Fruit, picked when ripe from a local farm.  Grown organically seemed just a "bonus".

Of the fruit and vegetables we received, I found out, much to my amazement, that Helen had never bought, cooked or eaten radishes...  we have now increased our palate and served them sliced thinly added to fresh salads and to a tuna salad Helen made for us on Saturday.

Garlic Scape, another item we had heard of... they are the curly tops of a growing garlic bulb.  Apparently farmers cut them to prevent to prevent the garlic from flowering. Preventing flowering allows the bulbs grow larger.  Helen was told you could use them as you would use green onions... I found them to have a crunchier consistency, similar to the crunch of celery, but with a taste more like a flavourful or peppery green onion.  There is a smell to it that adds to the flavour.  We have tried them with potatoes, with eggs and in salads.  We have now introduced Garlic Scape to a number of our friends. 

This week’s box will include:

·         Strawberries – Barrie Hill Farms, Barrie

·         Boston Lettuce – Spring Farms, Holland Marsh

·         English Cucumbers – Foothill Greenhouses, Kettleby,

·         Cauliflower – S & S Visser Farms, Innisfil

·         Sugar Snap Peas – Barrie Hill Farms, Barrie

·         Red Peppers – Exeter Produce, Exeter

·         Red Beets – Spring Farms, Holland Marsh

·         Garlic Scape – Carron Farms Ltd., Holland Marsh

Family Size gets all of the above in larger quantities, for some items, and the additional following items:

·         Beefsteak Tomatoes – Mucci Farms, East Kingsville

·         Swiss Chard – Springh Farms, Holland Marsh

Interested in participating?  The regular Harvest Box is $20/week, and the Family Size is $28/week.  There are several pick up points, and delivery is available in certain areas for an additional charge ($7.00 per week). 

We were concerned that we might not be able to eat all the vegetables and tried the regular Food Box, but we are already thinking that we might up our order to the "Family Size".  Eating more fresh organic, locally grown and picked ripe fruit and vegetables can only be a "good thing" for our family...

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