Hot Shots - July 22, 2022

Hot Shots - July 22, 2022
Severin R-B Danieli

Hello all,

We've finally had a fully sunny week here on the coast, and everyone is out and about. Every beach is full, every path is bustling, and every park is packed! It sounds a bit squishy, but it is a heartwarming sight to see. There is some serious heat coming in the next few days, so stay hydrated everyone! Find a cool place in your living space or a shaded part in the forest and snack on a hydrating watermelon.

I was recently at my second of a three session permaculture course, and a few people could not make it so it was just my mom and I and the two teachers. Talk about a private session! It was a wonderful afternoon, hanging out in the food forest and talking all about systems and stacking functions and observation and so much more.

I am heading to Calgary this weekend, this time for a wedding of our dear family friends, and our whole family is so excited, I feel like we are a bunch of school aged kids going off to camp! Like I mentioned in last hot shots, Calgary holds a special place in my family’s heart, and to be able to go and celebrate two people we love celebrating their love? Common, that's the best!

Tiger stripe zucchini's.

How beautiful are these zukes?? I have some zucchini's and cucumbers growing at home and of course the plant itself is a lovely vine, with curling tendrils and sprawling leaves, but the blossoms are a secret, or not so secret, culinary experience!

In Italy, it seemed like every restaurant had stuffed squash blossoms on their menu. Most of the time they were stuffed with ricotta and then deep fried. Great to be chopped up and grilled, made into zucchini bread, muffins, or a soup! Endless opportunities.

Strawberries.

Local strawberries have landed at Disco from Longview farm, located on Vancouver Island! Delicious, fresh, juicy, sweet - mmmm yum! I recently made a strawberry rhubarb pie and a nectarine crumble, so I guess you could say I have been on a fruit kick. For me, the perfect summer dessert is fresh strawberries and fluffy whip cream. We are also stocked up on fresh local raspberries in open pints from Collin Regehr farms.

Strawberries are filled with vitamin A, C, E and B, as well as potassium, manganese, fluorine, copper, iron and iodine. Not only are they scrumptious, but they pack a nutrition punch!

Grapes!

All the way from Divine Organics, these may look like your classic red and green grapes, but they are soo much more. To the left are the gummy berries, which legitimately taste like gummy bears, and to the right are cotton candy grapes, that, you guessed it, taste like cotton candy!

Cotton candy grapes are an especially sweet variety of table grapes, which were developed by a partnership between two horticulturalists, David Cain and Jack Pandol, who were both based in Bakersfield California. This grape was developed in 1996, and began selling commercially in 2011.

The perfect snack of the summer for a burst of flavour on a hot day. Have you tried sticking grapes in the freezer and having them as a snack? Game changer. Or, if you are wanting something a bit more sophisticated, try a cotton candy margarita.

Ingredients:

1.5oz lime juice
3oz frozen cotton candy grapes
2oz 100% agave silver tequila
1 handful of ice

Blend that up and garnish with extra grapes and a slice of lime!

San marzano tomatoes.

Similar to a roma tomato, san marzano's are a bit longer and pointier in shape, and the taste is stronger, sweeter and less acidic. Commercially sold in Italy, and produced in smaller quantities worldwide. This tomatoes water content is lower than that of a roma, and as such they lend themselves better to sauce production than popping them in your mouth for a sweet treat.

A co-worker here at Disco got me an organic san marzano plant and I walk by it every morning - willing it to grow big and tall! We are finally getting some heat and sun here so I know all the plants are trying to soak in as much vitamin d as possible.

The name san marzano comes from the town in Italy where this variety was first grown, in a town called San Marzano Sul Sarno. Similar to French champagne and its protected region in France, this tomato also received protected designation.

Cherries.

These cherries came to us from Blossom River Organics, and they are a flash of summer with every bite. I can easily sit at a table and eat an entire bag of cherries at once, but I try not to do that too often! Blossom River is run by the Gill family, who have specialized in cherries, apples and are now venturing into snacks and juices. Their farm is in the Cawston valley in BC, and if you are interested, follow them along on Instagram.

Growing up, we had a huge sour cherry tree in our backyard, and sour cherry pie was a summertime staple at our house. Baked goods with cherries are always a hit, such as cherry pie crumble bars, cherry pie, cherry cobbler, cherry ice cream! Ahh, I could go on and on!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Enjoy the sun, stay hydrated and cool, and try out a new recipe with a fruit or veg you've never had before!

Big love,
Severin R-B Danieli