We’ve gathered a few handy recipes for some of the veggies and herbs that you might have never tried or for those that we anticipate to be in abundance this season. Follow the (unaffiliated) links below for full recipes or suggestions.
Tomatillo Salsa Verde Recipe
An authentic Mexican salsa verde that’s great on any savory Mexican dish, but it’s also tasty on scrambled eggs for a spicy breakfast or just with tortilla chips and Netflix.
This season, we’re growing everything but the spices that this recipe calls for (ground cumin and salt/pepper).
Roasted Kohlrabi with Parmesan
Chopped kohlrabi, a pinch of cayenne, a shake up with parsley and . . . voilá! Well, also an oven and a few other things, but it’s an easy one, and we’ve got the first three ingredients covered! A nice alternative to potatoes.
Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
Oven roasted or on the grill, these little heart-stoppers are best served with beer and hockey. While we’ve got piles of jalapenos, feel free to substitute them with our Hungarian Black Peppers for less of a “green” taste in favour of spicy sweet. Better yet, mix ’em up!
Basil Pesto
We intend to be SWIMMING in basil this season, so help us out and take home a few handfuls for basil pesto. This recipe is laughably easy and is fabulous on any pasta. You can also use it as a sauce for meat, fish, chicken, or veggies or just to dress up a simple sandwich, slather some on pizza, or treat yourself to a spoonful just because. It’s wonderfully versatile and mouthwateringly delicious.
Southern Fried Okra
If you try only one new recipe from our suggestions, make it this Louisiana favourite. There’s definitely a consistency hurdle for some people and okra, but for those who like it, love it. Fried okra is a fantastic side to anything, but it works best with decadence (think mashed potatoes and gravy, Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham). Gumbo is another dish with okra as the centerpiece, but for now, it’s fried. You’re welcome.
Tart Ground Cherry Jam
Not into sickeningly sweet jams? Here’s a tart recipe from a greatly undervalued fruit. Even better, save a few seeds from the heirloom variety fruit at our market stand and never buy another pint of these effortless “cherries” again.
10 Uses For Cilantro (Coriander)
While this link won’t give you any defined recipes for this ancient and global herb, you’ll get a pretty good idea of how easy it is to add to everything from rice to cream cheeses to oil infusions. Maybe steer clear of this one if you’re allergic to caraway, fennel, or celery
10 Uses For Jalapenos
Calling jalapenos a “miracle” might be a bit much, but the Ontario half of our farm has joined the Texas half for an undying devotion to the pepper. Here are a few great uses for the bounty this season.
Using Hungarian Black Peppers
We stumbled upon HBP’s during a seed exchange in 2019 and they quickly became our absolute favourite pepper. These Hungarian natives, are STUNNING to see when they’re young and black and gorgeous when ripened to a dark and deep red. When fully mature, it has a spicy but sweet flavour not unlike a red bell pepper. Hungarian Black Peppers are perfect for salsas, sliced for salads, or to flavour anything pickled. Could one add a bit to strawberry jam or even the ground cherry recipe above? Absolutely. Really, use the ripened fruit in every way you can use a jalapeno and then celebrate the human accomplishment of sharing seeds from literally around the world.
More to come, but in the meantime, if you’ve got a must-try recipe for anything above or on our Our Garden page, let us know!
Fair Share Market Garden 