Hot Shots - June 17, 2022

Hot Shots - June 17, 2022
Severin R-B Danieli

Hello all,

How's it all going? Here on the coast it literally feels like we are entering the fall season. I was over at my parents-in-law's house on Monday, and we were sitting in their sun room, and we had the fire going, the rain was starting outside and a blanket or two to keep warm. Are we in June? orrrr January?! Maybe it's a new month that will be renamed Juneuary...

The local growers are dealing with a later start this year as the weather has been so cold and rainy, but we have a good amount of local produce in house regardless. TWO EE's, KPU Farm School, Myers Organic Farm, Olera Farm, Harkers, Blue House Organics and OriginO are a few of the local farms that are at Disco right now.

We've got another wedding this weekend, up in Kelowna this time, and it's shaping up to be filled with food, family and most likely some delicious BC VQA wine! The wedding is being help at Summerhill Pyramid Winery, which is an organic and biodynamic winery. How cool is that! I may have to do some sleuthing around before the ceremony and check out the vines. I'll see what I can get away with.

The first fieldtrip I had during my masters was in La Morra, which is one of the Barolo specific hills/towns, and we went to an organic winery called Erbaluna. They were a winery as well as an agritourism destination, and we spent the morning in the hills picking grapes off the vine. It was a misty morning, but the sun was shining through and the view was spectacular. Bella uva.

Savoy cabbage.

A mild flavour, wrinkled but crisp leaves, most versatile of all cabbage varieties and named after the Savoy region in France.

Lightly braise with butter, eat raw in a salad, or like my old piano teacher did, make some stuffed cabbage rolls. I always wanted to eat them, as they smelled so delicious, but they are traditionally made with ground beef and alas I am a vegetarian. I really need to try the recipe out with some veggie substitute. I'll report back if I do!

Lil creamers!

These just arrived here at Disco from Top Brass farms down in California, and they are the best size for roasting or boiling. Both yellow and red potatoes in 20# cases.

Top Brass has been using solar energy for their coolers since 2014, is CCOF organic certified since 2000, Non-GMO project certified, implements drip irrigation to preserve their water, employs the use of compost and cover crops to enrich the soil, as well as recycling any material possible that are used for growing grapes and potatoes.

My mother-in-law has a simple, but delicious, recipe with these little potatoes. Bring water to a boil, plop the taters in till they are soft, then give a generous portion of butter, pinch of salt, and fresh crushed garlic. Mix well and garnish with parsley if you're feelin fancy!

Butternut!

Oh wait, no, not a butternut....

A honeynut! Butternut's cute little sister.

Cultivated in the 1980's in New York, honeynuts are shorter than their older sibling, and sweeter. Containing two to three times more beta-carotene than butternut, the honeynut is a hybrid between the butternut and the buttercup squash.

Roast, sauté, puree, braise, the options are endless. Their skin is thin enough to be consumed, and their sugar content is high so a natural caramelization occurs during cooking. Our butternut's are from Covilli farms, certified organic as well as Fairtrade. Try them out!

Romaine.

Personally my favourite lettuce (the crunch, ooooh the crunch!), romaine has been cultivated for thousands of years and is still very popular worldwide. Ancient paintings in Egypt depict romaine lettuce as a commonly available leafy green and was also used as edible spoons for dips and spreads such as tabbouleh in Syria for Persian kings. Native to the Mediterranean and Middle East, romaine has been cultivated for 5,000 years.

Perhaps romaine lettuce is the reason I love Caesar salads? Or just salads in general? Regardless, it is a staple in my fridge at all times. This lettuce, pictured above, is from Myers Organic farm.

Myers is a favourite here at Disco as their quality is outstanding. Myers is an organic farm in Langley, BC founded in 1995 with just two acres. Now, in 2022, 120 acres of land is dedicated to certified organic produce for the Myers family. This farm grows over thirty varieties of veggies, blueberries and hops.

Strawberries!

The perfect snack for a summer picnic, atop a delicious cake - strawberry shortcake anyone? In a bowl with yogurt or ice cream, in a smoothie - so many options.

We've got a few different brands of these red beauties in, fresh from sunny California and also frozen strawbs in 30# cases from Mexico.

Big love,
Severin R-B Danieli