Turner’s Top Five: Harvest Edition
Hello, August!
We look forward to this season all year long. It’s harvest time! When the fruits of the labour of Ontario farmers are plentiful and at their very best.
With a diverse bounty of local produce available right at our doorsteps, eating local is not only easy, but full of choice and possibility. Now is the time to take advantage of everything the season has to offer – to dig out those recipes, get creative and try something new. Pickle, ferment, preserve, freeze, bake, roast...ENJOY. Now is the time to support local farmers, farm markets, producers and vendors, whenever and wherever you can. Now is the time to show them all of your support, for all of the incredible hard work they do (especially during these challenging times) to bring food to our tables.
Here are just a few favourites out of the many in-season, Ontario grown beauties that you can find on our tables right now...some of them come freshly picked from our own fields, just a few steps from our store. You can also find them at our weekend booth at The Market at Western Fair District, or at our Saturday morning tables at the Ingersoll Kiwanis Outdoor Farmer’s Market. Call us any time for more information on pricing, availability and how to order!
1. IT *IS* EASY BEING GREEN: KALE AND SWISS CHARD
Why we love them: Because we grow them ourselves! Our four varieties of kale and our rainbow Swiss chard are both having an absolutely tremendous year. Huge, beautiful bunches are being harvested from our fields right now! Hand planted, tended to with love and care, and hand picked - we are especially proud of our greens this year!
Helpful hints: Kale and Swiss chard are both nutritional powerhouses and super versatile. Use them in everything from salads to soups and casseroles. My personal favourite way to prepare them? Simple is best: a quick sauté with garlic, olive oil and sea salt lets their wonderful flavour shine.
2. THE SEASONAL SHOWSTOPPER: TOMATOES
Why we love them: Absolutely nothing compares to the flavour of a red, ripe field tomato. There are so many varieties to choose from – sweet, tiny Rapunzel tomatoes on the vine, flavourful heirlooms, to the richest, meatiest San Marzano, perfect for sauce. We grow a large variety of our own tomatoes at the farm (available soon: mid-August), as well as a selection from other Ontario growers.
Helpful hints: Are you looking for a certain quantity of tomatoes for making sauce or for preserving? We’d be happy to help you! It always helps to check your recipe to calculate the amount you need before calling to check availability and to place an order. Don’t forget about garlic, onions, peppers, and any other produce items you may need as well!
3. THE VERSATILE VEGGIE: ZUCCHINI
Why we love them: A quick Google search of “zucchini recipes” will quickly introduce you to the wide world of possibility at your fingertips with this super summer squash. They are currently abundant and beautiful – we are harvesting them from our own fields right now!
Helpful hints: Look for recipes that use zucchini as an addition if you want to sneak a little healthy goodness into classic comfort foods...from chocolate cake to pizza crust. We promise, we won’t tell your kids! There is pretty much no limit to its adaptability!
4. THE FANCYPANTS: NIAGARA PEACHES
Why we love them: It’s not officially summer until the day comes when you find yourself standing over the kitchen sink, eating a perfectly ripe Niagara peach. Is there anything better? While we see a few different and fantastic varieties throughout the season, we know the one most anticipated is the Red Haven Freestone, available now!
Helpful hints: Here is an insider tip: For a short window when the conditions are favourable, we get a limited quantity of the most amazingly large and beautiful peaches you will ever see – each peach weighs in at about a pound! You won’t find these beauties just anywhere! If you’re a peach fan and you happen to see them – be sure to get them! You will not be disappointed!
5. THE UP AND COMER: APPLES
Why we love them: There is something remarkable about looking across our fruit table at this time of year, to see summer on full display with berries, melons, peaches...right along side the very first hint of autumn yet to come. Mid-August is usually the time we begin to see the first new crop apples make an appearance. For a few weeks, you can have the best of both seasons! This year, we have started with a locally grown Pristine apple – now available! They are wonderfully tart, crisp and juicy. It’s the first of a long lineup of apples yet to make an appearance on the tables at Turner’s – we have a whole season ahead of us still to look forward to!
Helpful hints: With so many locally grown varieties to choose from, make this the year you step out of your apple comfort zone and try something new! You just might discover a new favourite!