This gallery contains 7 photos.
Our early season crew has been super busy at both our farm properties this spring. Our unheated seedling greenhouses are chock-a-block full of infant plants, which eventually will be transplanted out into the field: The crew repaired our many wooden … Continue reading
These chewy gingersnaps (aka molasses cookies) are super dooper. Heather’s been baking these bad boys for over a decade, and has made many cookie lovers happy as a result. MIX/CREAM TOGETHER: 1 1/2 cups butter 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup molasses 2 … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
After six years of growing food we’ve learned that different crops thrive in different years, depending on the weather. So far, 2014 is The Year of Berries. It caught us by surprise this June. Suddenly our lush green plants had … Continue reading
It’s a beautiful Saturday and you have someone you want to entertain: friends, family, yourself. You’re in luck. The Duncan Farmers Market runs from 9am to 2pm every Saturday through the summer months, and it’s a wonderful place to shop, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
It’s too bad these pages don’t have a scratch-and-sniff feature. If they did, you’d be able to huff that warm, oxygen-rich smell of tomato plant leaves. I inhale that incredible smell every time I peek into one of our seedling … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
Do you love reading? Do you love eating local, organic vegetables, conveniently delivered to your doorstep? Let’s put those two loves together into a tasty love sandwich and raise some money for Literacy Now Cowichan. The Auction Prize: 1 Full … Continue reading
This gallery contains 5 photos.
When we bought our 10 acres of pasture in 2007, we never thought we’d use all the land. But six years later, thanks to our customers and farm supporters, we’d expanded our production to the point where we were using … Continue reading
Shaw TV’s Go Island South team has produced a wonderful spotlight on our vegetable delivery CSA program, featuring our partnership with the super-fab Cowichan Recyclists. Thanks so much to Meg and her Shaw peeps for helping us spread the word … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
I love winter on the farm. Not for the weather, but for the natural opportunity it allows us to take stock of the past year and plan ways to improve the following year. Every year at this time we work … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
We usually just eat our green beans raw as a snack or cut up into a salad, or saute them for 10 minutes or so in butter and crushed garlic. For fancier recipes, here are some good ideas we’ve found: … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
Love garlic? Try growing your own! Garlic doesn’t need to be watered, deer don’t eat it and, if you treat your plants to some mulch, weeding isn’t a big issue either. Here’s what you do: Step 1: Get Your Seed … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
A good salsa recipe can be hard to find, so here’s ours. We’ve eaten entire jars in a single sitting. Combine in a very large pot: 3 cups chopped onions 3/4 cup chopped sweet peppers 6 chopped hot peppers 1 … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
We grow 10+ different kinds of tomatoes at Makaria Farm, from cherry tomatoes to heirlooms to traditional red slicers. When we choose which tomato varieties to grow each year, we prioritize flavour over ship-ability and aesthetics. If you spy an … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
When it’s bean season, watch out: they are abundant! Luckily, there are many ways to make the most of the harvest. These snappy treats are delicious raw as well as cooked, and can even be pickled for off-season enjoyment. Fresh … Continue reading
This gallery contains 3 photos.
There are thousands of potato varieties grown around the world, and it can be exciting to see (and taste!) the differences when you use different potatoes in your everyday recipes. In addition to baking, roasting or lightly boiling potatoes, two … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
Think of leeks as a super-tasty onion. They can be used instead of (or in addition to) onions in any meal, or can be cleaned, cut up and BBQed or sautéed and served as their own delicious side dish. Leek … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
The classic recipe for this staple vegetable is to steam it and serve it with cheese sauce, or to serve it raw with veggies and dip, but cauliflower can do much more. Try steaming or boiling the florets until they’re … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
Three cheers for cabbage! It fueled the workers who built the Great Wall of China, kept seafaring explorers from getting scurvy, and is jam-packed with vitamin C. If you have an older cabbage hiding in your fridge, just peel off … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
We pull our garlic plants in June/July. Fresh, “uncured” garlic is moister than the usual “cured” garlic, but can be crushed, baked, diced, etc. just like normal garlic. Storage Store your garlic plant in a cool, drafty place, ideally out … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
Cut off the stems and green tops, leaving up to 1” of stem on the beet bulb. Refrigerate the greens in a closed bag until you steam or stirfry them for dinner. Store your beet bulbs with the root tips … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
Big, beautiful lettuce leaves are a perfect replacement for taco shells or tortillas, especially if you’re striving to eat more vegetables (and less corn or wheat). Once prepared, all your ingredients can be kept in the fridge and brought out … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
Here are two ways to incorporate healthy kale leaves into your menu aside from the usual steam or sauté methods: First … 1. Rinse/wash your kale leaves. (If the stems are thick, pull them off and sauté them separately.) Dry … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
Abundant and versatile, zucchini are a mainstay of summer eating. Our default recipe is to sauté sliced zucchini with crushed or minced garlic cloves and a little oil/butter: it’s a delicious, easy side dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Other … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
Kale, Chard, Spinach, Beet Tops, Etc … Here’s an easy recipe that applies to pretty much any leafy green: 1. Cut off the stems if they’re denser than the leaves and eat these separately (sautéed or roasted, or chopped and … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
If you enjoy anise or black licorice, fennel is your vegetable. The foliage is especially aromatic and flavourful, although the bulb is more often the star in the kitchen. Fennel is a wonderful ingredient in soup (try it with leeks, … Continue reading
