Hot Shots - October 14, 2022

Hot Shots - October 14, 2022
Severin R-B Danieli

Hello all,

What a busy weekend - filled with food, friends and family.

On the holiday Monday, our family had their usual get together at my aunt and uncles place in Burnaby. I know I have talked about this before, but the potatoes my uncle makes are next level delicious, and I had not had them since Christmas of 2019 because of the pandemic and Italian adventures.

After two and a half years of waiting to taste these tots again, I can truly say they were worth the wait.

The day after, my aunt texted our group chat asking if anyone had any photos from the evening, and I replied with five photos. Three of these were of my nephew at his first Thanksgiving dinner, and two were of the potatoes. My aunts answer? 'That's about right, 3 family photos, 2 potato photos'.

Needless to say, that dinner was delectable, but another meal that was also delicious were the two lasagna's I made for my sisters birthday dinner on Sunday! Both vegetarian, the first was a classic red sauce with ricotta and spinach and all that jazz, but the second was a mushroom gorgonzola situation that was equally as tasty.

Pictured below is some chef juice, and the two lasagna's ready for the oven, and of course, the pièce o' résistance, my uncle's potatoes.

Radicchio De Luisa.

This gorgeous bit of greenery comes from Close to Home farm in BC, and is simply stunning.

In 12ct boxes, this specific varietal of radicchio can be eaten raw, or grilled/sautéed. The inside leaves are white, maroon and light green, and the flavour is light, mild, and packs a good crunch.

Since 2011, Close to Home organics has been run by Chris & Paige, who live at Glen Valley Organic Farm, which is a 50-acre property on the banks of the Fraser River. This year, they started a CSA which they run together with Earth Apple Organic Farm.

Hosui Asian pears!

Local to BC, and from Sundance Farm in Cawston, we have three different sizes here at Disco to fit every need. There are 64/70ct (the smallest) 54/60ct, 42/48ct (the biggest).

Hosui pears skin starts off green, and as they mature and ripen their skin turns gold-bronze and are firm and chewy when ready to be consumed. Their flavour ranges from sweet, to tangy to brandy-like.

This varietal is fairly new, being developed in the 1970's in Japan, their name translates to 'much water' which harks back to the pears juicy flesh.

If you're like me, and are not necessarily well versed in hosui pear cooking, here are a few recipe ideas: steamed hosui pears with dates and honey, a hosui pear crisp, hosui pear cake, korean BBQ marinade for short ribs.

Italian prune plums!

These bite sized bursts of flavour ripen from a dark red to a purple and have a natural white-blue bloom, or dusting as I like to call it, that naturally protects them from inspects, bacteria and moisture loss. Isn't nature cool? Yes, I sound like a bit of a veggie and fruit lover when I say that, but that was one part of my agroecological studies that I found the most fascinating when it comes to the cultivation of produce and the mitigation of pests in a organic and natural way.

I almost did my thesis on a specific type of pest that affected carrots and how to alleviate the issues in a certified organic way.

Okay sorry, small tangent. Here we go: plums!

Currently at Disco we have, black plums from California, Italian prune plums 25# bulk and 8x2# bagged, and president plums 25# all from BC and Natures First Fruits.

A small story I came across while researching these belle prugne, are they are very popular in Germany! They are used frequently in baking, but are also dried and sold in their infamous Christmas markets as 'plum people dolls'. Legend has it that they bring good luck and fortune to households.

Kiwi berries.

Available only for a short time in the fall season, kiwi berries are one of my favourite little treats of autumn at Discovery.

I grew up in North Van, Lynn Valley specifically, and we had a big trellis in the backyard with this strange vine growing on it. The vine would flower every year, but only produce fruit every 3 to 4 years. They were these small green berries, with no fuzz on the skin, but tasted exactly like a kiwi! So, probably a kiwi berry plant?

These berries we have at Disco are from Oregon, which coincidently was where the kiwi berry was first cultivated, at a farm called Hurst's Berry Farm in Sheridan, Oregon.

I think kiwi berries are delicious just eaten raw, and this cake recipe is no exception! A coconut, lime and kiwi berry cheesecake? Sign me up!

Lina's Garden!

A wonderful organic farm up in the Similkameen valley in BC, run by Art and Linda. Together in 1977, they acquired their first parcel of land, and started growing winter squash, and they have now grown into a bustling 24 acre working organic farm.

The cherry tomatoes are a medley and in 12pt, the hot peppers are in 8x227 gram clamshells, the mini sweet peps are also in 8x227 gram clamshells, and the beans are in 20# bulk boxes. The green beans from Lina's are the most delicious I have eaten, they're crunchy, exceedingly sweet and boast an eye-popping green colour.

Our team of purchasers recently went up to the Okanagan for a buyers retreat, and one of the farms they visited was Lina's Garden. Here are some photos below from their farm tour.

Thank you for all that you do, Lina and Art!

And thank you Brody for the photos.

I hope everyone had a good week and has an October fun-in-the-sun weekend planned? It looks like here on our coast that the weather may reach 25 degrees on Sunday! Don't forget your autumnal sunscreen!

Big love,
Severin R-B Danieli