A few summers ago, I was pulling up carrots in my garden when an eight-year-old neighbour came up and declared, “I don’t like carrots. They’re gross.” I convinced him to try one of my carrots and had to stop him from eating the whole carrot patch! Why? Because fresh, local carrots taste different from mass-grown carrots from California. They are sweeter and more flavourful.
We did this same demonstration when I ran a school gardening program at six schools in my region using strawberries. All the kids were given a locally grown strawberry and one that came in a plastic clamshell box from the grocery store for a taste test. The fresh local strawberries won every time. They are redder, riper, sweeter and bursting with strawberry flavours. The imported ones are bland in comparison.
There are many farm-ripened, freshly picked crops that taste better—tomatoes, peas, green beans and corn. And if you haven’t tried freshly harvested potatoes, I can assure you, they are nothing like new potatoes that are already a few days old.
Farmers’ markets and local green grocers are a great way to make the most of farm fresh vegetables. Most of these vegetables are also easy to grow in our region. If you don’t have a garden, you can grow strawberries, cherry tomatoes, sweet peas and carrots in a pot!
Here are three recipes that make local produce the star ingredient.
Pasta with Fresh Vegetables
(Prep time: 15 minutes, Cook time 15 minutes)
This pasta is designed to feature whatever vegetables are fresh and available at your local farm stand. I’ve included a list of vegetables below, but feel free to replace them with sweet peppers, zucchini, eggplant, Swiss chard or spinach. However, I don’t recommend replacing farm fresh carrots and peas with their less sweet, mass-grown varieties. It just won’t taste as good.
1 bag of pasta (454g)
3 cups chopped tomatoes
2 cups chopped green beans
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup of shelled sweet peas
4 cloves of garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter (or margarine)
1 tsp salt, to taste
1⁄2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Bring the pasta water to a boil and cook the pasta while you prepare the vegetables.
The vegetables are measured in cups to make things easy. But it’s fine to have a bit more or a bit less of any vegetable. Chop the tomatoes and green beans into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice the carrots into rounds and shell the peas. Finely dice the garlic.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan. Add the carrots and green beans once the garlic has melted. Sauté for five minutes, then add the rest of the vegetables including the garlic. Cook until the carrots are soft.
Toss the vegetables with the pasta. Add the salt and pepper, taste and add more seasoning if needed. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Apple Bean Salad
(Prep Time: 15 minutes)
This veggie-packed salad turns into a delicious meal when served with a slice of bread.
Salad Dressing
3⁄4 cup olive oil
1⁄2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp mustard powder
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1⁄8 tsp black pepper
2 cans of chickpeas
2 cans of red kidney beans
1 lb green beans
2 sweet red peppers
2 medium-sized carrots
2 apples
Mix the salad dressing in the bottom of a large bowl.
Rinse the canned beans to remove any excess brine.
Dice the green beans and peppers into bite-sized pieces. Coarsely grate the carrots. Peel and chop the apples into bite-sized pieces.
Toss the beans, vegetables and apples in the salad dressing. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary.
This salad can be eaten right away; however, it is best if made in advance so the flavours can mix.
Strawberry Salad Dressing
(Prep Time: 2 minutes)
This salad dressing is simple and delicious. It’s not particularly sweet, which means it’s perfect with all your usual savoury salad toppings. Buy a big bag of mixed greens from the farmer’s market along with your favourite salad ingredients!
1 cup of sliced strawberries
1⁄4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1⁄4 tsp salt
Slice the strawberries. Toss in the bottom of the salad bowl or in a jar with the olive oil, vinegar and salt.
Leave to marinate for at least five minutes or up to an hour before serving. If mixed in advance, this salad dressing will last for up to five days in the fridge.
