Hot Shots - April 7, 2023
Hot Shots - April 7, 2023
Severin R-B Danieli
Hello all,
Happy April! We are officially in our first full month of the spring season.
It is super official because I have changed the background of my computer's desktop at work to a beautiful spring scene.
I'm starting to daydream about what plants I want to grow this year, and I am feeling a slight pull toward more flowers this year. I just love having fresh flowers in the house year-round as it adds such a pop of colour and life to the gloomy winter days.
Jonathan and I are debating a move, still in North Vancouver, so I am hesitant to plant too much in case we need to move. But the need for my hands to be in some dirt is getting stronger each day, sped along by warmer and sunnier days, so we will see how long I can hold out for.
This weekend is my mom's birthday celebration, and gathering together for Easter with our family. We've got an Italian extravaganza with Jonathan's side of the family on Friday, and then a birthday/Easter lunch on Saturday.
Cauliflower.
This cauliflower, along with broccoli and celery, comes from Campos Borquez. Certified organic and Fair Trade farms in Scottsdale, Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. Campos Borquez is a 4th generation family farm and prides themselves on being a premium supplier of high quality organic superfoods.
One of their tag lines is 'Meaningful Produce' and this entails the following:
Accountability to the soil and those we serve
Accountable to the land
Accountable to our collaborators
Accountable to our partners
Accountable to our consumers.
A big part of their Meaningful Produce initiative is 'The Dignity Project' - I will copy and paste the explanation of this wonderful project below from their website:
"The Dignity Project provides healthcare, education, clean water, and fair wages to Campos Borquez harvesters and their families in order to restore communities, self-esteem, and hope. It’s taking the practice of regenerative farming beyond the soil – seeding and sowing good things into the roots of people that will last for generations.
Our land deserves attention, nourishment, and care—and people do, too."
Roma rainbow tomatoes.
Do these look like Easter eggs to anyone else? I know Easter is on my mind, but these remind me so much of the plastic eggs that were hidden around the backyard at our family friends houses for the classic Easter egg hunt.
I don't think I ever really believed in the Easter bunny, but Easter eggs hunts were a highlight of my year growing up. My mom would hide them in the sneakiest spots, sometimes a bit too sneaky and we would find them around Thanksgiving hidden behind some plates in the cabinet or behind the TV.
As we got older, the chocolate became more sophisticated, and my mom would hide a few each for my sister and I with chocolate from Thomas Haas (also, if you live in the Vancouver area and you haven't been to Thomas Haas, take this as your sign to go!).
Mushrooms.
White & crimini mushrooms from Highline and Farmers Fresh, our two mushroom suppliers.
Farmers Fresh is located in the Fraser Valley, and is one of the largest mushroom producers in the Pacific North West and Western Canada. Highline was founded in 1961 by Dr. Murray O'Neil in Ontario. Shipping then started throughout Canada, down into the United States and across oceans to Japan.
Whenever a holiday is coming up, our warehouse gets packed with mushrooms. Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas you name it! Mushrooms are being cooked!
I'm trying to decide on what to bring as a vegetarian dish to our Good Friday dinner, and I have a sneaking suspicion it will include mushrooms.
Maybe a veggie shepherd's pie? A veggie lasagna? I've been craving mashed potatoes loaded with butter, but I don't think arriving to a family dinner with a big bowl of mashed potatoes is the best move to make. But hey, they know I love taters!
Dill.
Not my go to herb, but a fragrant one that makes itself known in any dish. We've got clamshells of dill (6x1oz) and also 24ct bunches of dill from Roots Organics.
Did you know that dill is part of the celery family? I had no idea! And another thing I didn't know, is that dill is native to North Africa, Chad, Iran and the Arabian Peninsula?
Historically, dill has been found in the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep II back in 1400 BC, was found in the Greek city of Samos in 7th century BC, and was mentioned in Theophrastus's writings (371-287 BC). Talk about a rich history.
I guess my favourite recipe or food that uses dill are dill pickles. A crunch pickle? What's not to love?
Sprouted lacinato & green kale raab.
Available for a short time in late winter and early spring, and supplied to us by Longview Farms on Vancouver Island.
Kale raab is a rich source of vitamins A, C, and K, and also contains magnesium, calcium, copper, manganese, vitamin B6 and potassium. This tender greens can be eaten raw or cooked, chopped into a salad, added into a pasta dish, or simply sautéed with garlic, high quality oil, red pepper flakes, white wine and lemon juice.
The delicate pale yellow flowers that appear on the florets, are a sweet reminder to farmers and consumers alike that spring is coming - so hold on just a little bit longer!
Enjoy your long weekend and happy Easter & Passover to all those who celebrate.
I hope your weekend is filled with delicious food, friends and family, and some rest.
Talk to you all next week!
Big love,
Severin R-B Danieli