Hot Shots - July 29, 2022

Hot Shots - July 29, 2022
Severin R-B Danieli

Hello all,

I'm back on the coast and we are deep in a nice heat wave. While I was in Calgary, the plants in my backyard doubled in size, a few even tripled! I can only assume that if that is happening in my small garden, it is happening in all our local farms! Grow veggies grow!

Our weekend in Calgary was just lovely, tons of family and friends time, the wedding went off without a hitch, the weather cooperated, and there was a non-stop dance party from 8pm till 2am. There were cream puffs for dessert, delicious roasted veggies, charcuterie boards and falafels with tzatziki.

There are lots of local goodies to highlight this week, so lets dive in!

Speaking of heat, we have jalapeno and banana peppers in house!

These peppers come to us from Secrest, a farm staple in the summertime here at Disco, and are grown in Oliver, BC.

Covert Farms brought a desert-like piece of land back to life in 1959. Now, three generations later, Covert farms has leased land to Terry at Secrest Organics who highlights fruit stands, wholesale through western Canada, and boosting agri-tourism in Southern Okanagan.

Banana peppers are slender, elongated and have a pointy end. Their skin can ripen to either yellow, orange or red when mature, and are on the milder side in heat, scoring only a 0-500 on the Scoville scale. These peppers can be used in both raw and cooked applications, are easy to grow, and produce about 25 - 30 peppers per plant.

Originating from peppers with their origins in Hungary, these peppers were first introduced to the USA in 1932. The Corneli Seed Company developed the banana pepper from a mutation of another hot pepper back in 1940's.

Blueberries.

We have four different vendors in house right now. These include: Warkentin Organic farm (pictured above), Formosa, Bergen Family and Myers. We are bursting with blueberries! All of these farms produce mouth-watering blueberries, some more tart, some juicier, some plumper, all organic and delicious.

Warkentin Farms has a special place in my vegetable/fruit heart however, because I have known and eaten their blueberries since 2012. My first job, Sprout Organic Market, was a family run organic grocery store in North Vancouver, and my boss had a great working relationship with Ron from Warkentin Farms. Every year, we would pre-sell pounds and pounds of his blueberries, and my boss would drive out to the Fraser Valley and stuff her car full of fresh warm blueberries. Our tiny little walk in cooler would be lined floor to ceiling with 5#, 10# and 20# boxes of bloobs, but we wouldn't mind, because these blueberries are straight up delectable.

Yesterday, a co-worker and I split a case of 12x1lb blueberries, and I went straight home and ate two pints (2 pounds) worth of blues in one sitting. I need to chill.

Warkentin Farms consist of Ron, Bette and their son Damon, who have been growing blueberries for over a decade and in production since 1989. Next to a section of the Fraser River, their 25 acres is solely dedicated to organic berry production. There is also the option for You-Pick, so if you are interested, check out this link.

Tomatillos.

Translating literally to 'little tomatoes', tomatillos range in size from 1 to 2 inches and have a sticky husk that encloses the firm green fruit. The plants that they grow on are low sprawling, not reaching any higher than two to four feet.

Tomatillos are native to Mexico and Central America, and are highlighted in these regions cuisine. Used often in a salsa verde, as well as soups and dressings.

Pickling cukes.

It will come as no surprise to anyone that knows me that yes, cucumbers are one of my fav fresh produce items of all times. I cannot get enough of them.

Pickling these little green cuties are a great way to try your hand at preserving fresh product throughout the colder months. Take a look at this recipe, and munch on these tangy cukes all year round.

These cucumbers come from Secrest and are available in 20# boxes.

Carrots.

One of the best parts about gardening to me, is when you pull out root vegetables from the soil. Not being able to see what the vegetable looks like or how big it is makes harvesting root veggies even more exciting.

Pulling up a big orange carrot, still warm from the soil, blasting it with some icy cold water from the garden hose and taking a bite? Priceless.

Just as delicious when raw as they are when cooked (though slightly less sweet), carrots can be used in so many different recipes. Baked, roasted, steamed, raw... carrot cake??!

I am off to Bowen Island for the weekend with the pup and the husband, and then a friend of ours is visiting from Italy for the upcoming week. Lots of touristy things planned for her, and I am excited to show her the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Hope everyone has long weekend plans to relax and enjoy the sunny weather! And welcome in August!

Big love,
Severin R-B Danieli