Hot Shots - May 12, 2023
Hot Shots - May 12, 2023
Severin R-B Danieli
Hello all,
How is everyone? We are enjoying some seriously hot days with bright sunshine, not even a cloud dotting the vibrant blue sky. It doesn't look like it is cooling down any time soon, so, can I tentatively say ... hello summer??
This weather will be a big jump start for our local growers, and we can't wait for each farmer's full range of vegetables and fruits to come flying through our warehouse doors.
April, May and June are busy months for both sides of our family, as there are countless birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's day, Father's day the list goes on and on. This specific weekend consists of a BBQ at a friend's, a 60th birthday celebration, two additional birthday celebrations, and two Mother's day celebrations. It's going to be a busy one, but everyone gets a pep in their step when the sun starts to shine in Vancouver.
During the past few days at work, we have been able to taste test strawberries, cantaloupes, mini watermelons, biiig watermelons (we received a few 28ct bins which are huge watermelons, one weighed in at 23.2lbs!), blood oranges and of course, the occasional green bean.
Strawberries.
We've had vast amounts of strawberries through our bay doors for the past few days, all in preparation for Mother's Day. Who knew this fruit was a top seller for this holiday! Maybe strawberries and whip cream are a common dessert for moms? A strawberry shortcake? Chocolate dipped strawberries?
Available currently at Disco are 8x1# clamshells, or 4x2# (pictured above) from A&A Organic and Ichiban.
If any berry signifies spring and summer, it is the strawberry. Bright, glossy and deep red in colour, not many things compare to a fresh strawberry, plucked off the vine, warmed by the sun. Summertime in a bite.
Cantaloupe.
Seasonal availability for these melons is April, May and June, and then again in the fall in October, November and December. With high levels of potassium and vitamin C, cantaloupes are not only a delicious summer treat, but they have good nutritional value as well.
Llano began in the 1950s, and founder Marco Antonio Llano Zaragoza started farming wheat, cotton and watermelon in the area of Valle de Guaymas. To this day, the company has been run by the Llano family and is in its 4th generation.
If you happen to be making a fruit plate this weekend for a mom or mother figure in your life, maybe some cantaloupe and strawberries can be the star fruits?
Red Spring Onion.
These onions can be harvested either very young or mature, and are often the result of culling the field to make room for the larger onions to grow and mature. For flavour, a delicate balance of sweet and savoury, trending a bit more towards sweet, make these spring onions a springtime favourite.
Recipe wise, I have always had the greatest success with grilling the onions whole on the BBQ. Brush them with olive oil, season them with any spices your heart desires, and cook them till they are almost overcooked. Other recipes I have come across are pickling them, just the bulbs, a spring onion soup with a side of crispy baguette and a spring onion noodle bowl.
These spring red onions come from Coke Farms, which is a collaboration with over 70 local organic growers, whose acreage ranges from five to over a thousand.
Blood Orange.
Since the weather is sooo beautiful, and all I want to do while we have nice weather is eat any type of citrus and watermelon, here are one of my faves: blood oranges. Coming to us from Sunkist farm, these 20# oranges are packed with flavour.
I am thinking of juicing some citrus this weekend and incorporating some ginger and turmeric as well. I've got a vacation coming up at the end of May so I am determined to be feeling great to enjoy Southern California.
Sunkist has been operating since 1893 and claims the title of the longest-standing agricultural co-op in the country (USA). An impressive 130 years of citrus growing, and their quality is top-notch.
I felt very inspired last night to cook up a fresh pasta dish, and I thought to myself, why not take the Hot Shot readers along?
The san marzanos I bought were bright red, firm, had fresh green stems and were about 4-5 inches in length.
I cubed those, cut up half a yellow onion, a few cloves of garlic, and tossed them into a pan with salt, pepper and olive oil. After the onions and garlic started to become translucent and caramelized, I ventured out into my garden to my new basil plant and plucked off a few fresh leaves.
While the sauce was cooking, I got a pot of salted boiling water going and added in a mix of penne and rotini pasta. Cooked that up to al dente, took 1/3 of a cup of the pasta water, drained the pasta and then added the pasta to the sauce in the pan. The pasta cooked a bit longer, soaking up the flavour of the sauce, and soon was ready to eat.
I topped my plate off with roughly chopped basil and some fresh parmesan.
Delicious, simple, fresh.
Pictured above is the finish product, and of course, a photo of Roma while I was out picking some basil.
Enjoy your weekend - hopefully it is sunny where you are!
It's going to be a scorcher here on the coast, I think it is estimated to reach 30 degrees on Sunday? I'm already too warm and it is 20 degrees.
The last few summers Jonathan and I have found some fresh water dip spots to spend the afternoon at, usually with some snacks, lemonade and wine to enjoy. Yesterday, we took the pup to Bridgeman Park, which is a park in North Van that has a freezing cold fresh water river running between two paths. Roma loves it, constantly running down from the path, splashing around, and coming ripping up the path again. She knows how to stay cool.
Talk to you all next week!
Big love,
Severin R-B Danieli