Recipe: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

so what's so great about eating pumpkins? 
Never has a vegetable provided so much fun and been eaten so rarely. For so long, we have associated pumpkins only with Hallowe'en's jack'o lanterns or Thanksgiving's pumpkin pie. However, it is a veggie that the 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth says is a really great, overlooked vegetable that is ridiculously low in calories while very high in potassium and vitamin A, not to mention the beta-carotene that is typically found in all orange foods.

Potassium works with sodium in our bodies to maintain water balance. People who have diets that are high in potassium have lower blood pressure (you can also get good doses of potassium from popular foods like bananas, though pumpkins have far more, per calorie, than that tropical fruit). So increasing potassium in your diet helps to ward off hypertension. It seems that the more potassium you take in, the more sodium you excrete... something that's important in our Western, industrialized, processed food exposed, salt-heavy diets.

Pumpkin is the generic name for any winter squash
that is round in shape, usually rigid, and bright
orange in colour, like these from Dargatz Family Farm.

what else?

• Increasing your potassium intake decreases your risk of stroke.
• Increasing your potassium intake increases your bone mineral density.
• Increasing your potassium intake when you exercise helps to ward off muscle cramping.
• Pumpkins contain beta-cryptoxanthin which can reduce the risk of lung and colon cancers along with rheumatoid arthritis.
• Pumpkins contain lutein and zeaxanthin which are vision-protecting superstars.

One more thing to remember... carotenoids need dietary fat for absorption in our bodies. And while a small amount of olive oil or butter would be a better choice, nutritionally speaking, to help us get the most of our digestion of pumpkin, the butter in these cookies does the trick!

how to choose a pumpkin

Thankfully, for your waist line, the dough does
not taste very good...

According to Pete Luckett, of The Greengrocer's Kitchen, gigantic pumpkins won't be very sweet, and the small ones that fit into your palm aren't worthwhile to cook with either. Instead, buy fresh pumpkins that are heavy for their size with smooth, unblemished skin and no mould. A fresh pumpkin will last up to a month when stored in a cool, dark place. And once cut, the pieces should be covered in plastic wrap and used within the week.

how make pumpkin purée
This is SO easy! And once you make your own, you'll find it is so much tastier (not to mention cheaper on the grocery budget) than canned pumpkin!

Split the pumpkin lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and fibrous bits. I like to use a spoon with a sharp edge to do this. Place one half, cut side down, in a shallow baking dish. Add 2 tablespoons of water and cover with plastic wrap. Cook on high of 12-15 minutes, until tender. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove the plastic, cool, scrape out the pumpkin and purée either in a blender, a food processor or in a bowl with an immersion blender. Repeat with the other half pumpkin.

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies 
These pumpkin cookies have been a favourite around our house for almost 2 decades now. The recipe came from a child's Halloween craft book that we took out of the library when my daughter was quite young. The cookies are very moist, and almost cake-like in texture. They are not your typical cookie, but they are unbelievably delicious. They're also not a glamorous cookie... never perfectly shaped they're like the ugly duckling of cookies. This is an easy recipe that you just can't mess up!

The smell of these cookies coming out of the oven is
so good! 

ingredients
½ c. butter
¾ c. brown sugar
¼ c. molasses
1 egg
1 c. pumpkin, canned or roasted & mashed
2 c. flour
½ t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. nutmeg
1 c. mini chocolate chips 

directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter & brown sugar together. Add molasses. Stir in egg. Add pumpkin. Put all dry ingredients into the bowl except chocolate chips and mix together well. Add chocolate chips.

Bake 10-12 minutes. Cookies should still be very soft in the centre so that they come out soft & chewy & cakey.

where can you find ingredients at our market?

• Dargatz Family Farm, Riverbend Gardens  and the Holden Colony, have pumpkins each year.

Recipe from a child's Halloween craft book that we took out of the library when my daughter was very young. Purée recipe form The Green Grocers' Kitchen, by Pete Luckett, p. 115.
Nutritional Information from The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, by Jonny Bowden and The Greengrocer's Kitchen, by Pete Luckett
Visit our website at http://www.swefm.ca
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Contributed by Sheri Hendsbee

Recipe: Chocolate Zucchini Loaf

When looking for zucchinis at the market, you can
sometimes find them hidden amongst the squash,
like the yellow ones here at Riverbend Gardens' stall.

People are often intimidated when it comes to baking, preferring to buy their baking from the grocery store where it often tastes very bland or is loaded with fat and sugar in an attempt to improve its shelf life. There really is nothing like baking at home... not only does the end result taste fantastic, but it makes your house smell divine! And a loaf is the best way to start your adventure into home baking... other than burning it or undercooking it, there's really nothing you can do to mess it up! There's no careful mixing, no delicate icing, to artistic and creative flair needed to turn out a delicious result each and every time.

Zucchinis come in different colours from a yellow to an
orange, along with the traditional deep green

Our recipe today comes from Tammy, one of our Info Tent volunteers who comes to market every week. She brought some of this delicious Chocolate Zucchini loaf to market a couple of weeks ago and we all loved it! Now she is sharing the recipe with you all. It is a deep, dark brown colour from the cocoa powder in the recipe that mingles with all of the ingredients, giving a chocolate flavour to each and every bite.

a healthy diet is a varied diet 
It is one that includes a lot of vegetables, limits fat and sugar, and watches portion size. There is always room for a treat in a healthy, balanced diet... and a slice of this zucchini chocolate loaf fits the bill!

Sometimes zucchinis are massive!
That's when you use them in baking.

One thing to note in Tammy's recipe is that she has used mini chocolate chips. I've always preferred using mini chips because they go farther in your baking, spreading out chocolate chunks throughout and giving the impression that your recipe, be it cookies or brownies, loaves or an ice-cream topping, making your dessert seem far more chocolately than it actually is. Tammy suggests substituting unsweetened cocoa powder for the chocolate chips. That simple substitution cuts down both the sugar and the fat in this recipe, making it healthier, and not adversely affecting the flavour.

This loaf freezes well... and that is one way to avoid temptation... slice it up, package it in small portions so that you freeze it in small batches, and you won't be tempted to devour it in one sitting!

One thing that we do at our house is pour the batter into mini loaf tins: like rectangular muffin tins, there are six to a pan. These freeze well and can be sliced for small treats. Top each slice with peanut butter, maple butter or your favourite nut butter and they are a healthy snack or a wonderful breakfast start to the day! You need to cut the baking time down significantly (by a little less than half) if you use mini loaf tins... to about 35-40 minutes.

zucchinis 

Technically a summer squash, zucchini is prized for its versatility in cooking. It's mild flavours adapt well to mediterranean cuisine, work with any tomato based dish.. and add moisture and texture to sweet baking! They can even be eaten raw, and are delicious dipped in some of Louie's Tzatziki (at Theo's Greek Kouzina).

when selecting a zucchini at the market, look for smooth skinned, firm flesh with no blemishes or soft spots. They will keep at least a week on the refrigerator shelf.

This is an amazingly versatile veggie. Picked young, it is delicious grilled or stir fried. When it grows quite large, which it does with amazing speed in a summer garden, it is best used for baking. You can eat the skin, as it is soft... so simply wash off the zucchini, trim off the blossom end, and grate it, skin and all, into this recipe.

When they get really huge, like this zucchini
that I used making the recipe for the blog
today, you might need to scoop out the
seeds before grating.

good for the eyes! Zucchinis are high in heart-healthy potassium, along with vitamin A, beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids that protect eyes against macular degeneration and other vision problems. Another great thing about summer squashes like zucchini is that they have a very high water content... so they are a "high volume" food that is excellent to eat when you are trying to shed a few pounds because they are both filling and low in calories.

how to cook a zucchini
Pete Luckett, of The Greengrocer's Kitchen says, The best way to cook a zucchini is quickly, and with as little liquid as possible. Slice zucchini in rounds or strips, or leave very small ones whole.Steamed lightly or sautéed in butter, zucchini makes a delicious side dish, needing nothing more than a squeeze of lemon juice and some salt and pepper. Larger zucchini can be sliced thickly, brushed with olive oil, seasoned, and thrown on the grill.

Chocolate zucchini loaf 
Zucchini plants have a way of multiplying. When your garden overflows, try this new chocolatey twist on the usual bread. This recipe makes 1 loaf (12 slices). It takes 15 minutes to prep and 60-65 minutes to bake in a 350F oven.

Made into little loaves, sliced, then topped with peanut butter
or, better yet, maple butter from Grand Maple Farm at the
market, and you have a delicious snack.

ingredients
1¾ cups all purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½tsp salt
2 eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil***
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup coarsely grated zucchini (about 3½ ounces)
½ cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips***
confectioners' sugar (icing sugar) for dusting

*** this can be made healthier still by reducing the oil to 1/4c  and adding back in 1/2c of plain, no fat yogurt or unsweetened applesauce for the moisture
*** you can substitute cocoa powder for the cholocate chips if you are trying to decrease the fat & sugar in this recipe, but using MINI chocolate chips makes them go farther in this recipe, spreading throughout and making it seem far more chocolatey than it actually is.

directions
1. Heat oven to 350F. Coat a 3½ x 4½ x 3" loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Sift together the flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl.
3. Beat the eggs, oil and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl until well combined. Stir in the zucchini.
4. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until moistened and a stiff batter just comes together. Do not over mix.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips or cocoa.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
7. Bake in a pre-heated 350F oven for 60-65 minutes or until a wooden pick, inserted in the centre of the loaf, comes out clean.
8. Turn out onto a rack to cool completely. Before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar.

where can you find ingredients at our market?

• The Plot, Dargatz Family Farm, Riverbend Gardens  and the Holden Colony, have zucchini each year, but it is getting to be the end of the season, so you might have to search around a bit.
• Maple butter can be found at Grand Maple Farm along with maple syrups and maple candies.
• Theo's Greek Kouzina carries delicious tzatziki and red pepper dips that work well with zucchini finger slices.

Recipe from Tamara Senger, SWEFM Volunteer
Adapted from Family Circle: Best-Ever Cakes & Cookies Cookbook, p. 144
Nutritional Information from The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, by Jonny Bowden and The Greengrocer's Kitchen, by Pete Luckett
Visit our website at http://www.swefm.ca
Like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/swefm.ca
Write a review of us on Trip Advisor: SWEFM on Trip Advisor

Contributed by Sheri Hendsbee

Black Bean and Chorizo Soup

With the cold temperatures that we have been experiencing lately, not to mention the unseasonable, winter-like conditions, it seems timely to post a hearty, hot, satisfying comfort food recipe. Packed with nutrition, this soup fits the bill. In fact, it is so dense that it is more like a stew than a soup, and makes a perfectly easy home-cooked meal. Put it in the crock pot in the morning, and you have an easy suppertime meal waiting for you and your family at the end of the day. (And a wonderful smell drifting, tantalizingly, through the house!)

black beans and chicken are truly super-foods 
Colour is, by and large, a key indicator of a food's health properties. Black bean's intense, dark colour is a clue that they are loaded with nutritional value.

Packed with nutrition, black beans are one of the planet's
super-foods.

beans are loaded with fibre Nutritionally, they are one of the best sources of fibre on earth and it is well known that diets that are high in fibre lower the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. And it is wonderful, health-promoting soluble fibre. We need at least 30-35 grams of fibre a day and many arguments have been made for a daily intake of up to 100 grams. The average North American gets a measly 11grams. Beans are one of the easy ways to get it back into your diet giving you from 11-17g/cup. So beans are loaded with fibre.

beans regulate your blood sugar Their fibre slows down the rate by which glucose is absorbed. They are the ultimate low glycemic-index food.

beans reduce your risk of developing cancer The Nurses Health II Study found that eating beans or lentils two (or more) times a week resulted in a 24% reduced risk. Diosgenin, a physiochemical found in legumes, appears to inhibit cancer cells from multiplying. There are also the saponins, protease inhibitors and phytic acid phytochemicals that protect cells from the type of genetic damage that can lead to cancer in the first place. Saponins slow the growth of tumours. Protease inhibitors slow the division of cancer cells. Phytic acid slows the progression of tumours.

chicken is a high quality protein
It also contains small amounts of calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron.  Niacin is a B-vitamin that is important in energy metabolism, in the metabolism of fats in our bodies, and in the biochemical functions that are needed to maintain healthy skin and a properly functioning gastrointestinal tract and nervous system.

Sunworks' chickens are ethically raised, free-range and
organic, maximizing health for your family and for the land.

chicken meat contains selenium Selenium is a trace mineral that is one of the most important nutrients in the human diet because it is a powerful antioxidant and a diet low in selenium is associated with an increased incidence of several types of cancer (including lung, skin, colorectal and prostate).

chicken contains healthy dietary fat Sausages, because they include the dark meat of a chicken, are higher in fat content (a little of which is the unhealthy saturated variety); but it is interesting to note that most of the fat in chicken is monounsaturated fat, as long as you are not eating the skin and visible fat.

Warm, chunky, healthy, hearty, satisfying and delicious.

black bean and chorizo soup
Slightly sweet, a touch spicy, warm & satisfying; this is the ultimate fall comfort soup. Serve, topped with grated cheese and a wonderful, hearty slice of toast made from Owen's protein-rich Prairie Mill Bread and you have a satisfying and comfort-filled fall dinner.

I much prefer to use my black beans from the dried state as they aren't mushy and retain a lot more of their satisfying texture. And it is very easy to do, as long as you think ahead the evening before you plan to make this soup.

long soak method for preparing black beans

Using this method also saves you money as dried beans cost pennies, when purchased in the bulk food section of your local grocery store, compared to the cost of beans in a can. For even steeper savings, find an ethnic (East Indian) grocery store and buy them by the kilogram!

Black beans are so simple to prepare at home. Packed
with nutrition, they save you money and have far better
texture when prepared from their dried state.

For this recipe, use 2 cups of dried black beans, and prepare them using a stove top method (they will double in bulk). There are other methods as well, including a quick soak method, that cooks them first, then soaks them, then cooks them again; and there is a slow cooker method. Google them.

Rinse the beans, removing any stones or debris (sometimes thee is the odd stick in the package!). Place them in a large bowl with 3 times their volume of water. Let them soak overnight or up to 24 hours with 1 teaspoon baking soda. Drain, discarding soaking water, and rinse.

In a saucepan, cover the beans with 3x their new volume of water. Bring to a boil for 30-45 minutes, or until the beans squish when pressed between your fingers. Reduce heat, cover & simmer until beans are tender, about 30-80 minutes (depending on their variety, age & size).

I cook the beans while I am preparing the other ingredients for this recipe and put them into the crock pot, hot, at the very end. Drain & discard cooking water.

ingredients

Sunworks has a weekly deal where you can purchase
sausages at a discounted price when you purchase
10 or more packages.

12oz fresh chorizo sausage, sliced (or hot or mild Italian sausage and add 1 tsp. paprika)
1 onion, chopped
4-6 carrots, diced
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. crushed fennel seeds
1/4 tsp. pepper
5 c. low-fat, low-salt, chicken broth
2- 19oz cans black beans, drained (or 4 c. cooked)
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 red pepper, diced
1½ c.  frozen or fresh corn kernels Sunworks

directions
Sauté sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain any fat from skillet. (I find that with the Sunworks' sausages, there isn't any extra fat to get rid of... in fact, you might have to add a splash of water to the pan to cook them thoroughly without charring them.)

Add the onion, carrots, chill powder, fennel seeds & pepper to the skillet. Sauté over medium heat until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Scrape into the slow cooker.

Prairie Mill Bread is wonderfully hearty and packed with
protein. Toasted, it is the perfect accompaniment for this
recipe (and it is even better, when dipped in the soup!).
Pictured here is Owen's sunflower bread.

Add 1 cup of the broth to the skillet & bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Scrape into the slow cooker, along with remaining broth, black beans & tomato paste. Stir to combine.

Cover & cook on low until slightly thickened, about 6 hours.

Add red pepper and corn and cook over high heat for about 15 minutes until hot.

Serve, topped with cheese and a wonderful, hearty slice of toast made from Owen's Prairie Mill Bread and you have a satisfying and comfort-filled fall dinner.

where can you find ingredients at our market?

• Sunworks Farm has outstanding, wonderful tasting, organic chicken sausages. Their Chorizo Italian versions work really well in this recipe.
• The Plot, Dargatz Family Farm, Riverbend Gardens  and the Holden Colony, have carrots & onions every week.
• Holden Colony and S4 Greenhouses have beautiful red peppers each and every week.
• Prairie Mill bread is made from organic Red Fief Wheat, that is ground into flour on site at Owen's Bakery in our community. Now that's local! Because it is made with Red Fief Wheat, it is very high in protein... one slice of his bread packs double the amount of protein that you would find in a regular slice of whole wheat bread!
• For possibly the next 2 markets, depending on what happens with our crazy fall weather, Riverbend Gardens and the Holden Colony will have corn on the cob fresh from their fields

Recipe from the Canadian Living Slow Cooker Collection, p. 37
Nutritional Information from The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, by Jonny Bowden.
Visit our website at http://www.swefm.ca
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Contributed by Sheri Hendsbee

Barbecued Chile Chicken Thighs

Ron answers questions at his 13th Annual Farm Tour,
held this past Saturday.

Butterhead lettuce, with its almost cream, buttery texture,
makes a wonderful base for a salad to accompany this dish.
These are from S4 Greenhouses.

I was talking to Ron Hamilton, of Sunworks Farm this week about how he raises his chickens, and about the importance of people being connected to their food. Knowing where it comes from. Knowing how it is raised. And asking intelligent, ethical questions of the people involved in their local food system.

He was very thrilled with the response that he and his wife, Sheila, received with their 13th annual Farm Day Tour. They had over 700 people registered for the event... that's an incredible number of people who are invested in their food... people who want to know where it comes from, how it is raised, and the conditions under which it is harvested. Half of those people were Terwillegar residents! At SWEM we applaud that kind of intelligence, interest in and investment in our local food system. Well done! Check out the very brief video here to get a sense of the atmosphere... Farm Tour Video

Ron says, "When you come to our local farm, about 75 km away, you will see how the animals are raised. You will see how they are processed and how we make our products. Truly transparent. We don’t use any tricks, we don’t employ food scientists. We employ people that care about how your food is grown, raised, handled and processed. On our farm you can see that the social licence we have as farmers with the consumers is fulfilled and verified." 

Mini tomatoes, like these, from Dargtaz Family Farm's booth
add a rainbow of colour to any end of summer tribute salad!

He urges you to, "Visit many farms, so you can get a benchmark of what a good farm should look like and see what their practices are. Do your homework and ask the deep questions. There should be no off limits and buildings that you can’t see. The visit shouldn’t gloss over or quickly step around a certain part of the farm. Is the farm clean, well kept and in good repair? Are the employees able to help with the questions so you know that everyone is on the same page? " 

And Ron also strongly believes, "People go to farmers markets to meet the farmers and develop a relationship with the growers of their food. There often is a lot of trust that the patron of the farmers market has with the grower. When you can go to the farm it validates that trust."

Lettuce mixes, like these at Holden Colony, are
available throughout the market at many of our veggie
farmers' booths. Often, they have bags of pre washed,
mixed salad bags, ready-to-go.

Riverbend Gardens, the veggie farmers in our market with the green tents, also invites people to come out to their farm. They call it their Plant & Play event. They host regular volunteer sessions where you can go and help harvest veggies and pull weeds. Get connected to the land. Really understand where your food comes from. How it is grown and harvested. What it is like to farm the land, get your fingers dirty and toil for your food. 

Nasturtiums are edible flowers, pictured here in the centre of
basket at The Plot's booth at our market.

In an urban setting we are far too often distanced from our food. Going to farm tours or volunteering on a farm is a wonderful way to connect with the land and to get connected with our food. I firmly believe that we really only value what we know... whether that be the natural world, or the farm where our food is produced. The more experiences we have in that world, the more we come to care for that world, and the more we can influence others to care about it. Get to know that world, and you will come to care about its interests, its inherent values and its preservation. Teach your children to care about that world, and you take an important step in guarding a responsible, ethical, meaningful and prosperous future for them.

Corn, from Riverbend Gardens or Holden Colony makes
a wonderful accompaniment for this BBQ'd chicken!

In honour of Sunworks' successful farm tour this past weekend, we offer up this recipe: BBQ'd Chili Chicken Thighs. Dress this up with a quick salad, made with market fresh lettuce mixes, and veggies like mini cukes, red peppers and heirloom tomatoes, and toss it in a simple vinaigrette (personally, I like a more tart vinaigrette made with HALF oil and HALF flavoured vinegar... Evoolution's white, infused balsamics are my absolute favourites... traditional vinaigrettes are made with 1/3 vinegar and 2/3 oil.). Add some beautiful edible flowers from The Plot and you have the fixings for a gourmet meal. Next, add some corn on the cob with chill lime butter (the recipe was posted 2 weeks ago), and you have a wonderful end-of-summer/market-tribute feast!

barbecued Chili chicken thighs

Donna and I resting while hiking up Mt. Lady Macdonald...
named after the feisty wife of our first Prime Minister who
 liked to ride through the mountains on the cattle
pusher grill on the front of the trains!

My good friend, Donna, has made these delicious and ever-so-simple chicken thighs for us a few times over the years when we have visited her in Canmore. And now that BBQ season is drawing to a close (or at least, comfortable barbecuing season... unless you're like us, we BBQ all winter long!), it seems a timely thing to post.

This recipe is SO simple!!! It works every time. It works equally well for chicken breasts, but the thighs, with their higher fat content and their darker meat, are much juicier and, in my opinion, far more delicious, in this recipe.

ingredients
2 lbs. Boneless Chicken Thighs
2tbsp. Chili Powder
1tbsp. Brown Sugar
1/2t. Salt
1/2 t Pepper
1-2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

directions
Mix together the chill powder, brown sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Coat the chicken breasts or thighs in olive oil. Rub the powdered mixture into both sides of the chicken thighs.

Grease the grill so the chicken won't stick and pull apart as you flip it. Grill on med-high on the BBQ, approximately 3 minutes a side, until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork or cut with a knife.

where can you find ingredients at our market?

• Sunworks Farm has outstanding, wonderful tasting, ethically raised, organic chicken.
• Dargatz Family Farm, The Plot and the Holden Colony have lettuce mixes that are washed & bagged and ready to use. 
• S4 Greenhouses, along with The Plot, Dargatz Family Farm and the Holden Colony, often have whole heads of lettuce to use in an accompanying salad.
• S4 Greenhouses and Holden Colony have gorgeous greenhouse cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes to use in a salad. Dargatz Family Farm, Riverbend and Holden Colony all have field cucumbers.
• Dargatz Family Farm always has wonderful heirloom tomatoes to dress up a salad and add incredible flavour, history and intriguing texture. 
• Add a few fresh herbs or edible flowers from The Plot and you have the fixings for a gourmet feast.
• Corn on the cob can still be found at Riverbend Gardens and Holden Colony... but not for long!!!

Visit our website at http://www.swefm.ca
Like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/swefm.ca
Write a review of us on Trip Advisor: SWEFM on Trip Advisor

Contributed by Sheri Hendsbee

Pizza Sauce

You may have noticed at the market this past week that there were cases and cases of tomatoes. There were canning tomatoes, field tomatoes, heirloom varieties, hot house tomatoes on the vine, and a rainbow of mini tomatoes all begging to be taken home in your shopping bag. You might have even seen shoppers lugging entire cases away to their cars. What was all the fuss about?

There were cases of canning tomatoes at S4 Greenhouses.

We all know that supermarket tomatoes, trucked in from thousands of kilometres away in the winter taste, well... a little wooden and bland. So how do you capture the beauty and spectacular taste of a summer tomato and save it, to be opened again in the winter releasing those memories and that incredible flavour?

Canning tomatoes is a very tricky business as you have to use complicated and time consuming hot water baths to seal your jars perfectly to ensure that you don't give yourself food poisoning down the road. I'm not saying don't try it, but have a little canning experience under your belt first.

Really, any tomato will do for this recipe.

By far, the easiest way to preserve tomatoes is by freezing them. Wash them, take the stems off them, and simply pop them into large ziplock bags. One bag, crammed with tomatoes, will be enough to double this recipe. When you go to use them, simply pop them in a sink full of hot water while they are still frozen solid, and within seconds, the skins pull back and slip off easily. You can then use them in any recipe, from pasta sauce to this recipe!

Tomatoes are one of those super foods. Packed with antioxidants and lycopene they are great for men to eat as they protect against prostate cancer, along with lung and stomach cancers. A Harvard University research study in 1995 found, by studying the eating habits of 47,000 men, that men eating ten servings or more of tomatoes a week of tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato juice, and even pizza had 45% fewer prostate cancer than those men who ate fewer than 2 servings a week. Now those are impressive findings!

Did you know that field-ripened tomatoes have twice the
vitamin C of those grown in a hothouse environment?

The benefits of women are clear as well: strong evidence indicates that lycopene protects against a long list of other cancers, including breast & cervical cancers. It also protects the heart against oxidative damage and reduces the risk of heart attacks... one of the top killers of women in our North American society.

To get the most out of the lycopene in those tomatoes, you need to consume them with a little fat. Yes, fat. Lycopene is a carotenoid, and is a fat-soluble nutrient. Digesting them with fat-rich foods like oils, nuts and avocados make for an ideal nutritional situation.

And for those of you wanting to know the answer to a burning question... yes, they are a fruit and not a vegetable! But did you know that they are also, technically speaking, a berry?

Pete Luckett, in his Greengrocer's Kitchen recommends selecting tomatoes that are heavy for their size and firm, but not hard. And he says that a tomato should smell like a tomato -- fruity and earthy.

pizza sauce
This recipe is as simple as it gets. Easy to make and delicious as a pizza or a pasta sauce. Slightly sweet, and quite mild, it lacks the acidity or pungency of other tomato sauces. You can make it and freeze it now in small portions, or you can simply freeze the tomatoes in the amount required for the recipe and haul them out in the winter.

ingredients

Heirloom tomatoes, like these at Dargatz Family Farm's booth
are rich in flavour and texture. Experiment with them!

8 medium tomatoes, frozen with skin on (simply pop into a large freezer bag & put in the freezer over night)
1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 T. tomato paste
8 large basil leaves (or one large ice cube packed with chopped basil leaves from the garden)
2 t. raw, organic honey
sea salt & fresh ground pepper

directions

The Plot has gorgeous (and inexpensive) bags of fresh basil.

Put fresh tomatoes from the Farmers' Market or the garden into a large ziplock bag & freeze until ready to use. When needed for this recipe, simply put the required number of frozen tomatoes into a sink of very hot water for 1-2 minutes. The skins will slip off. Coarsely chop them, still partially frozen, and plop them into a bowl. Set aside.

Heat a skillet. Add the oil and heat until just before it begins to smoke. Add the onion, and sauté until the onion becomes translucent. Add the reserved tomatoes, basil and tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low & simmer 45 minutes-1 hour, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat & purée with an immersion blender until smooth. Add honey & season with salt & pepper.

Freeze in 1c. containers for easy defrosting when making homemade pizza.

where can you find ingredients at our market?

• Riverbend Gardens, Dargatz Family Farm, S4 Greenhouses and the Holden Colony have plenty of tomato varieties from which to choose.
• Riverbend Gardens and Holden Colony have cooking onions
• Packages of gorgeous, sweet basil can be found at The Plot
• Holden Colony has wonderful honey

Clean Eating is a cooking magazine that I thoroughly enjoy. They have put out a few "best of" collections. This recipe is from their first: Clean Eating: Improving Your Life One Meal At A Time, p. 77

Nutritional information from The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S. (p. 66-67), and The Greengrocer's Kitchen, by Pete Luckett (p. 146)

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Contributed by Sheri Hendsbee

Recipe: Corn on the Cob With Chili Lime Butter

You may have noticed at the market this past week that corn, fresh in from the fields at Riverbend Gardens and the Holden Hutterite Colony, has finally arrived. Great big sacks of it were piled high on the tables or heaped to overflowing in large storage crates.

Unfortunately, corn isn't one of those super foods that's packed with so many nutrients that it makes nutritionists' Top 100 lists, and that lies more in the fact that it is packed with starch. Like the starch in potatoes, the starch in corn quickly becomes sugar in the digestive process, and is responsible for spiking blood glucose levels. That being said, it is important to note that there really are no bad vegetables. Corn does have vitamins C and A, good amounts of B-vitamnis, potassium, magnesium and iron. It may not be a nutrition superstar, but like anything, used in moderation, corn can still be part of a healthy diet.

Normally, we think of fruits as being the candy of the healthy eating world... but corn is a vegetable that deserves that status as well. Each plump, light yellow kernel is packed with sweetness and literally pops in your mouth when it is fresh in from the field and when its kernels are not too ripe and over mature. This week's corn that I took home to my family from the market was perfect!

Peaches & Cream corn is one of my favourites, with its tasty,
sweet  and distinctive cream and yellow coloured kernels.

Pete Luckett, author of the Greengrocer's Kitchen, offers this advice when selecting your ears of corn from the pile that heaps on the market table: When choosing corn, go for heavy, sweet-smelling ears with tight green husks and fresh-looking, golden silks.If you can peel back the husks, kernels should be small but plump, shiny and packed tightly. Small-kernel corn is usually sweeter and more tender than corn with large kernels, which can be a sign of age and therefore toughness. And avoid any ears with dimpled kernels, which indicates age and starchiness To store, leave the husks in place and wrap the ears with a damp paper towel.Store it in plastic bags in the refrigerator, and please cook it within two days at the most..

Corn season is always far too short! Blink, and you'll miss out on one of the best reasons to head to a farmers' market for your table!

corn on the cob with chill lime butter

The lime juice is tricky to stir in, but keep working it!

Granted, sweet corn at the end of the summer is absolutely delicious with nothing more than butter and salt. But this chill lime butter will put a refreshing twist on this summer classic, particularly if paired with a cold lager with ice (yes, ice cubes) and lime. With the sun beating down, the citric zing of the lime wedge adds punch and the slight addition of water from the ice doesn't compromise the taste... and more importantly, it keeps your beer cold to the last drop!

By using jalepeños that are thick walled and juicy, you will
cut the spiciness of this recipe down so that even the
pickiest of eaters will enjoy its crunch and taste.

serves 4
ingredients
1/4c. butter, softened
1 Tbsp. finely minced shallots or chives
1 tsp. minced Thai or serano chili peppers (or jalepeño, if you don't like too much heat), including the seeds
1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 tsp. sea salt
4 ears of corn, husked and cleaned

directions
In a bowl, combine the butter, shallot or chives, chill, lime zest, lime juice and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour before using. (Make ahead: Place butter in plastic wrap and roll into a log and refrigerate for up to one week or freeze for up to 3 months.)

Spicy peppers come in all levels of heat
from mild to searingly hot

In a large pot of boiling, unsalted water, cook the corn until tender, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, remove corn from the water and, while still hot, spread with the chill lime butter.

where can you find ingredients at our market?

• Riverbend Gardens, Dargatz Family Farm and the Holden Colony have heaps of corn cobs fresh in from their farm fields.
• spicy peppers can be found at Dargtaz Family Farm and S4 Greenhouses

Chili Lime Butter Recipe from Earth to Table, by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann
Nutritional information from The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S., and The Greengrocer's Kitchen, by Pete Luckett
Visit our website at http://www.swefm.ca
Like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/swefm.ca
Write a review of us on Trip Advisor: SWEFM on Trip Advisor
Contributed by Sheri Hendsbee