Hot Shots - November 18, 2022
Hot Shots - November 18, 2022
Severin R-B Danieli
Hello all,
Hopefully everyone's week went smoothly! It was business as usual here at Disco, though the lettuce problems still rage on. If you're curious, take a look at this article.
It's been chilly and sunny here, and I assumed that all my plants would be close to dead, but my purple-sprouting broccoli has started to grow! I couldn't believe my eyes! I looked it up, and apparently this varietal can withstand temperatures of up to -12, is harvested from autumn through to the late summer, and it takes at least 180 days to mature.
I know kale is a very hardy plant, and actually gets sweeter once the first frost has come and glazed their leaves, but had no idea about this broccoli. There are of course a lot of benefits to living in the Pacific Northwest, but our shorter than most growing season is one of the drawbacks.
Just last week, I was on Instagram, and happened upon a profile of a guy in North Van who is growing exotic non-pnw approved fruit. If you're interested, here is the name of the account @rarefruitvegnerd_pnw
Check it out!
Pineapple.
Now, I know we are right in the middle of November, but pineapple is always a good idea!
Recently we made some pizzas for dinner, and as always, and controversially, pineapple is the star ingredient.
Growing up, my whole family was vegetarian (and mostly still is), and any time we got pizza, we would get a Mediterranean veggie and a pineapple and mushroom pizza. It may sound odd, but it was mine and my sister's fave. To this day, anytime I can, I add pineapple and mushroom to any pizza.
Carrots.
And not any carrots, fountainview carrots. These orange guys are sought after throughout the whole year for their flavour and crunch.
Back during my undergrad, I was working at a little organic market in North Vancouver, and whenever a delivery of Fountainview carrots would arrive, we would have a list of customers to call to let them know they had come in, and people would come flocking to the market. Talk about a reputation!
These carrots come in 10x5#, 24x2#, and 25# juice bags.
Fountainview Farms is located up in Lillooet BC, and they credit their delicious tasting carrots to the 'combination of hot Lillooet sun, clean mountain water, and rich Canadian soil'.
Persian cucumbers.
One might ask themselves, what is the difference between the Long English cucumber (this will be the most common plastic covered cucumber from the grocery store, or as we call them LE cukes) and the Persian cucumber? Well, not a whole lot.
Both LE Cukes and Persian cukes are thin skinned, pretty much seedless, and perfect for whipping into a dip or crunching raw.
Honeydew melon.
A fresh, sweet and subtly floral flavor, this melon is often overlooked when compared with its sister, the cantaloupe. Containing as much potassium as a banana, honeydews have surprising versatility.
This versatility in recipes included: sorbet, mixed in with tequila, fruit salad, jams, or, another recipe that caught my eye - 'Honeydew Salad with Peanuts and Lime'.
These melons come up to us from Mexico, and are in 8ct cases from Sunfed.
Horseradish.
Did anyone know that Lemony Snicket has a booked called "Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid"? I did not! This book follows the lives of a man and a woman who live in a grass hut in a village surrounded by horseradish fields.
Horseradish is harvested worldwide, and is used both as a spice and/or condiment. Truthfully, I'm not sure I have ever actually had horseradish, and I don't think I am particularly in a rush to try it. I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to spicy things.
In the town of Collinsville, Illinois, in the springtime month of May, there comes an International Horseradish Festival. This includes: horseradish eating contests (uhm, what?), recipe cook-offs and games centered around this hallowed root.
Staff appreciation: Carter!
Carter arrived on the Disco scene in December of 2018, which means he is very close to his four year disco-versary!
He has worked in the retail and purchasing of produce for 18 years, and is a valued member of our purchasing team. He has a beautiful wife and two of the cutest daughters in the world.
His family was gracious enough to invite my husband and I over for dinner a few months ago, and they prepared the most delicious kale salad I had ever had. Of course, I got the recipe from him (and will share it below) and made it a few days later for my sister and mom when they came over for some dinner.
This salad received, as expected, rave reviews. So, here it is:
Carter's Kale Salad (working title)
Dressing:
1 cup of olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 TBSP liquid honey
Currants - measure those out depending on how much you like currants and let those soak for 30 mins in the dressing
Salad:
3 bunches of green kale (it sounds like a lot, but trust me)
Massage the kale with the dressing, and then top with pine nuts, salt and pepper to taste, and as much fresh grated parmesan as your heart desires.
Big love,
Severin R-B Danieli