The season of fall produce, comfort food, blankets, bonfires, hot tea, and cool nights is here!

Fall is the time when many fruits and vegetables are at their peak flavor. While most of these fruits and vegetables are available year-round at the supermarket, they’re of noticeably better quality in the fall fresh from your favorite fall.

Whether you’re eager to try a new way to serve an old favorite or want to try out something new, here is your go-to guide to Fall fresh fruits and vegetables, with fun facts about each, like how to pick the best, recipes, prep and storage suggestions!

All winter squash is sweet and loaded with potassium, vitamin A and C, fiber, and magnesium.  To prepare, halve the acorn squash, toss the seeds, and place a mixture of chopped pistachios, quinoa, golden raisins, cumin, salt, pepper, and olive oil inside each half of the squash and bake on 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.

Fruit Crisp! Yummy

Apples and all the many varieties during the fall and winter months are crisp, sweet, and juicy. Throughout the season you can expect to see Golden Delicious, Fuji, Gala, Braeburn, Honey crisp, are just some of our favorites.

“An apple a day…” Apples are a good source of fiber, potassium, beta carotene, vitamin C, antioxidants, folate, magnesium, and calcium.  Some studies show that they may help protect against heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. 

Bake apples into applesauce, add them to your Thanksgiving stuffing, toss them in your salad for a sweet crunch, or bake a delicious and easy apple crisp.

Kale is considered to be one of the most highly nutritious vegetables, with powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Amazingly, one cup of kale contains 1,300 times the daily requirement of Vitamin K, which is important for bone health and blood clotting.

You can use kale in so many dishes, such as salads, soups, and smoothies. Or make some yummy crunchy kale chips!

One of my favorite fall dishes spaghetti squash mexican style for taco night.

Arguably the poster-child of fall produce, pumpkin is a true sign of fall! They come into season in September and then they leave an impact on all of our holidays: they become works of scary art during Halloween, they shine as pie filling and are the mainstay for our fall lattes.

Also, the other winter squash types come into season at the beginning of fall and they last during winter.

Pumpkin is high in vitamin C, antioxidants, you can find magnesium, zinc and iron in its seeds, too! One cup of pumpkin contains more vitamin A than a cup of kale, more potassium than a banana, and more fiber than 1⁄2 cup of quinoa.

Tip: Butternut squash can be substituted for any recipe that calls for pumpkin, so if you can’t find the perfect pumpkin, look for a butternut squash instead.

Carrots come in a wide variety of colors, such as purple, yellow and white. Fun fact: the reason we associate carrots exclusively with the color orange goes back to Holland in the 17th century when the royal House of Orange decided to cultivate only orange carrots. Their brilliant and bright color became an unofficial symbol of their reign.

Despite their density, carrots are actually very high in water content and are prone to try out quickly (leaving them skinny and soft). Tip: if they do come with green tops, remove them, as they will suck all the moisture from the carrot, making them soft. Do not wash, rinse or cut until ready to cook. If left in the crisper drawer in an open paper bag, they can last for over a week.

We all know carrots are delicious and sweet just as they are, but with such a great fall flavor, they’re often underused. Simply roasted in the oven, carrots are caramelized to perfection! Try roasting them with butter and dill, or cumin and curry. 

There are traditional purple, golden, white, and multicolored versions during autumn. Beets are high in betaine, which may help lower risk of heart and liver disease. Beets are also a good source of antioxidants such as betacyanin (which give the beets their deep red color), fiber and nitrates, which can help stave off heart attacks, stroke, heart disease, and dementia because it increases blood flow to the brain.

Thanks for your interest in our farm we cant wait to be part of your kitchen this fall.

Your Farmers,

Scott, Jessica and Clive

With so many different ways to grocery shop these days, it can be hard to know where to begin. Do I visit the grocery store, receive a food delivery service, order off Amazon, sign up for a CSA or visit my local farm stands? While all of these avenues have benefits and drawbacks, as someone who has been shopping with my momma at farmers stands since I could barely walk and now run and operate my own organic farm and farm stand… and as my friends can all attest, I have so many reasons for why you should shop at a farmers’ market, but here are just a few to whet your appetite:

• The produce options are out of this world! Think about the fact that when you go to the grocery store you buy food from a shelf that usually says something like “tomatoes” and you have a couple of different options and all the tomatoes look perfectly round and blemish free (and turn to mush in one day). But have you ever seen a tomato grow in a garden? Very rarely does a tomato found at the store look like one pulled from a vine. And that is because grocery store tomatoes varietals are often selected to be good for transport and long shelf life, not flavor. When you shop at our farm stand we as farmers are more focused on delicious flavor, unique options, optimal nutrition and what types grow well in Western Colorado. Our Tomatoes will also be able to last a few days longer in your produce basket on your counter then any purchased from the large market chains. The next time you are wondering exactly how different veggies are from the farm versus the store, do a taste test. Buy a bunch of carrots from the store and one from our farm and see for yourself. You will never want to buy a carrot not farm grown again!

• You are investing your money in the local economy! Studies have shown that for every dollar spent with your local farmers, twice as much economic activity is generated within the region. So that means more jobs for farmers and less money in the pockets of agribusiness and GMO food conglomerates. Doesn’t it just feel better to know your buying habits are helping send your farmer friend’s kid to continued education instead of putting more money in the pocket of a CEO?

• The produce is fresh, fresh, fresh! Almost everything you buy at our farm stand market was picked that day or the day before in order to retain the perfect ripeness and flavor. Farmers’ can’t afford to store their harvest for long on the farm, so you are ensured that whatever you buy at our market is going to be peak freshness to enjoy at home. On average, the produce you buy at the grocery store is stored for at least a week, sometimes up to a year, and can come from anywhere in the world. Who wants a nine month old carrot on their dinner plate? I surely don’t!

• Sustainability is key! That means for us being certified organic. We feel our Organic Certification provides transparency to our consumer and protects your health. We want to use only the best growing practice and we allow a third part audit of our farm to show our dedication to our food safety and farm safety for our consumers and for the safety of us your farmer. We allow anyone to check our input records and certificate papers at anytime. If a farm promotes themselves as using “sustainable practices”, ask what makes them “sustainable” as “sustainable” has no clear definition. If your farmer is dedicated to organic practices they should be certified organic. To us its kinds like being kinda pregnant. You either are pregnant or you are not. The grey area of Organic Practice is not what Organic farmers have been standing for for the last 5 decades and trying to differentiate our farm stewardship from other less intentional growers. We collect detailed information about what we put into our soil and make sure that chemical pesticides and herbicides are not a part of our practices. Have a question about a farmer’s growing practices? You can ask them in person instead of trying to figure out a label full of fancy marketing speak. And let me tell you, most farmers love talking about their practices! Farmers are proud of the work they do and want to share it with you. We as farmers know that taking good care of the land and our ecosystem is taking care of our business, our customers and our planet, all at the same time. Our Certification and dedication to our Organic farming practice is such an honor for us and we are very proud of our hard work to grow organically.

• Seasonality is special! While it can be very convenient to be able to buy Nectarines year round, the truth is that Nectarines bought in December have either been stored for months or shipped from far, far away. Both of those things mean your fruit choice is going to have very little flavor and a very big impact on the environment. If you shop with the seasons, you are guaranteed to not only have flavorful, nutritious produce, but excitement every time you visit your farmers. Trust me, when your favorite items are back into season, it will feel like your birthday every month of the year. At Field To Fork we work hard and feel lucky that we have two growing seasons, so we can keep our farmers stand full of seasonal produce year-round. We also enjoy working with other local growers and organic growers who we trust to help us fill our farm store through the seasons. That means you will never find a tomato out of season at our Market, but you will find ripe, sweet organic fruits, crisp greens, herbs and the tastiest organic melons and sweet corn in the summer.

• Shopping at the Farmer stand is fun! When you visit the farm you can simply shop for what you need and go home, or you can bring a friend, have a snack, chat with your farmer, food just doesn’t taste as good when it is delivered to your doorstep with the click of a button. Need a mid-week pick me up after staring at a computer for three days? Why not plan an after-work happy hour with your friends. Hump day just got a lot better now that you can hang out and take home some tasty produce to get you through the rest of the week.
  
  But don’t just take my word for it, determine for yourself if these reasons to shop at the Field To Fork farm market ring true. Visit us at 3526 Front Street Palisade Co. Hope to see you at the market!

Dear Farm Friends,

We had such a great community potluck at our farm Saturday June 3. Thank you everyone who came and spent time with us. We look forward to sharing all the bounty of the farm through the rest of the Main Growing Season. All the summer produce you enjoy will soon be in our kitchens. For weekly updates please follow is on Instagram or Facebook.

Wow, we had a big scare in our community two night ago. When we saw the train stop at our property on Fire it was so scary!

We immediately evacuated our house because we were un-knowing what was on fire and if it could explode or what was being held in the tanker cars attached and if they could potentially explode.

We were obviously scared for our lives but we were also scared for our neighbors and community. This was the biggest fire we have ever seen and so out of control the chemicals burning were so gross and hot. It took 3-4 hours to get this fire out and all night to move the train. This was crazy! A lot of hazardous material is transported through the Grand Valley everyday and this could have been much worse.

Our mission in our lives is to be self sustaining sovereign humans and I want that for everyone else as well. We (Scott, Jessica and Clive) are not our business (Field To Fork) we are sovereign humans and we are expressing our creativity and our selves through our work of organic farming this is a creative practice for us and a great outlet and lively hood offering us health and happiness. We enjoy community and creating an alternative for our community to have access to fresh soil rich fruits and vegetables using our artistic medium of soil. We can do our work anywhere but we choose to do it here we choose the Grand Valley.

We have all chosen to do our work here and we have all worked so hard to make the Grand Valley a beautiful place to live. I grew up in the Grand Valley and I have watched it change alot over 40+ years. I love Colorado and the Colorado life I feel we need to voice how important it is to reduce the amount of hazardous material transportation through our community and our State. This is for our safety.

This train fire should hopefully be setting the alarm bells off with your inner thoughts.

This is a major topic in our political scape right now, I understand. But this voice is not political it is spiritual and from the soul. I have had journalist calling all day, social media is going crazy. But that is all a distraction and noise of the actual issue. Of course everyone has an opinion and hopefully it helps stir our community to protect ourselves from these trains carrying extreme hazards. These trains are as powerful and at the same magnitude as the Hiroshima Bomb. If something happened to my farm and my lively hood it would not matter as the after math of a train explosion would decimate our Valley so this has nothing todo with my farm but our community as a whole.

Our world is not slowing down when it comes to energy and the need for more, more, more. It is an insatiable appetite for greed and power and we are about to see more trains very soon. Unfortunately with our existing rail system that was not designed to move these materials these fires and explosions will be more common as our society continues to advance with more need for power.

For Western Colorado this is what you need to know. The Uinta Basin Railway provides new infrastructure that will create 35 two mile long trains a week through the Grand Valley, Glenwood Canyon, along the Colorado River and Through Metro Denver carrying more hazardous material then ever. So dont think this is slowing down and at some point errors and accidents will accure effecting our water shed, toxic pollution and other unthinkable catastrophies.

More Natural Gas, Petrol fuels, Ethenol and other hazard are being hauled unsustainably and here is a article with real stories and data explaining the realities of these bomb trains running through our community.

To Learn more here is a link of the current law suit filed to protect our public safety and our beautiful state of Colorado.

https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/120-20complaint20uinta20basin20leases.pdf

For the United States we have many issues arising and here is some information regarding the level of public safety and how important it is that we stay a breast to these situations.

https://earthjustice.org/feature/liquefied-natural-gas-lng-by-rail-tanker-car

Love for all,

Scott, Jessica and Clive

Winter salad greens are ready!!

We are happy to re-open for 2023  

Winter Hours:

Thursday 12-5

Friday 12-5 

Saturday 10-3 

Re-Opening February 2-4

Product Avail: Eggs!! Salad Mix, Micro Greens, Spinach, Carrots, Turnips, Radish, Baby Romain, Cabbage, garlic, onions, squash, potatoes, watermelon radish, farm raised pork and specialty pantry staples

3526 Front Street

Palisade Co 81526

970-216-2642

For 2023 we are changing our farm membership offer. Below are the details of our new system going forward for the 2023 season. We are excited to streamline our membership and include the Pizza Club, Dinner Club, Spring Garden Plant Sales, Natural Meats as well as a Potluck Pizza Party and Farm Tour.

We are excited to continue expanding our gourmet pantry items. We could not be doing all this work with out you but we are growing and some changes are needed. Your support is appreciated and adds to the success of our farm. All house holds are different and we hope this helps serve more of Mesa County. Please read below to learn more how you can participate in the continued growth of our farm and sustaining local farms on Western Colorado.

Details:

2023 Farm Card Membership

Farm Card Membership: 100.00

*10% off all farm store purchases during the 2023 year (Valid Feb-Dec)

*10% off all Farm Events

*10% off Pizza Club Purchases

*10% off Dinner Club Events

*10% off Spring Garden Plant Sale Purchases and Early Access to The Garden Center Plant Sale May 17th

*Free Ticket to our annual Farm Member Farm Tour and Pizza Party Potluck BYOB June 16th

This membership must be re-newed annually.

You will be given a membership card to use when shopping.

Farm Cards are not intended to be shared with friends or other households one card per household. Please encourage your friends to purchase their own.

You must Pickup your Farm Card Physically at the Farm during our regular Farm Store Hours.

Purchase your farm card at the farm to avoid the internet service fees.

The 100.00 purchase price goes directly to supporting the farm, farmers, supplies and costs of running and operating the farm. It is not a credit.

If you currently have credits on your farm card we will honor them with the same rules and agreements as the past. 12 month expiration from last date of purchase. We will no longer be renewing the CSA membership cards.

Thank you for your support and interest in our farm as we continue to expand and grow we look forward to serving you the same beautiful produce and offering more opportunities for you to enjoy our farm.

Your Farmers,

Scott and Jessica Washkowiak

Good Morning,

We will begin our fall Part 2 schedule this week. Below you will see our new hours. We have some really nice fall produce available and looking forward t the next 7 weeks. Thank you for your support we really enjoy growing for you. You can look forward to Winter Squash, Tomatoes, Onions, Broccoli, Cabbage, Lettuce, Apples, Pears, French Radish, Watermelon and Dikon Radish, Sweet Tokyo Turnips, Candy Carrots, Herbs, Eggs, Pork and Lamb. We are also sourcing some great pantry staples and fun holiday specialty foods.

Hope to see you soon.

You’ve enthusiastically surveyed your sweater collection, and maybe even donned a favorite cozy item on an early morning stroll. Your social media feed is slowly casting visions of pumpkin and cocoa instead of inflatable pools and watermelon. You can go to the park, in the middle of the day, and feel the sensation of both warm sunshine on your shoulders and a cool, crisp breeze at your back. The weather is starting to shift in Mesa County, and this incredibly pleasant time is known as fall. If we had to put a finger on a week that marked the transition from repressively hot to intoxicatingly cool, this is the week. Can you feel it?? While so much in the world seems up in the air, the air itself is announcing the predictable tilt of the planet and a seasonal transition that will bestow sunny days and cold nights, warm mugs of hot beverages, and cool-season crops. We're talking carrots for days, and verdant greens as far as the eye can see. We are excited to expand our farm store hours as the weather is perfect and we have more energy but also for us to enjoy the heavy harvest as it fills the store. Please note our fall hours and please visit soon. We are excited to be in your kitchen through the fall and Holiday Season.

Your Farmers,

Scott & Jessica

Good Day,

September has started out a little hot but this next weeks looks like it cools off and maybe a little rain. This will be a great relief to all.

Currently we have great fall flavors showing up and we have many pears, apples root veggies leafy greens, elephant heart plums winter squash and potatoes will also be available soon. We have great full size onions and broccoli. Cauliflower and Cabbage will also be available soon.

Pizza Club has been a lot of fun this summer and our last pizza club offering is tomorrow Sunday Sept 11. We have had a blast making pizza and we have a few special events over the next few weeks. Next weekend is The Colorado Mountain Wine Festival and we are helping with many events through out the valley the Wine Fest weekend is one of our busiest weekends. September 24 we have our final farm dinner of the main season. The first week of October we have Cherry Creek High School from Denver coming to camp and work on the farm for a experience on a organic farming they are going to help us clean up all our fields and prepare the soils for cover crops. Our schedule is pretty full and we will continue our normal farm stand hours.

We have a had a great summer season and looking forward to fall. Our last week is December 15-18 so please keep in mind we still have 14 more weeks of great produce. We are ready and have been planting many crops for a great fall harvest and we cant wait to be part of your kitchen. We do want to review all farm membership accounts. Memberships expire 12 months from last purchase date. Here is a link for you to check your balance. Farm Membership Balance

Please come visit us soon and please let us know if you have any question.

See you soon,

Your Farmers

Good Day,

The Field To Fork Farm Store will be closed Thursday and Friday August 11 & 12. We will resume our normal hours Saturday and Sunday for the Palisade Peach Festival.

Hi Farm Friends,

This is the last call for you to join us for our first farm dinner since Pre-Covid. Please join us as we are very excited to have some small events this year. The last few years have been very hard on everyone one way or another and we are excited to invite you to join us at our farm to break bread and share our summer harvest under the stars. Tables will be small round tables and this is a more adult event. We have a few seats still available and hope you can join. Please reserve your seat by Saturday July 23.

We are happy to have had the opportunity the last few years to re-think our farm and our farm dinners. We are excited to offer a more farm focused experience less people and more intimate. We have a chance to celebrate the growing season with you and all our farm has to offer. We are so excited to share our favorite farm fresh dishes and summer eating style with you. Space is limited!! Reserve Soon!!

We have a family wedding Saturday July 16 we are attending the farm store will be closed Saturday.

We have a few more seats available for the July 30 wood fired super club. Come enjoy a night on the farm book your seat soon. Here is a link to

Good Day Farm Friends,

We are happy to start seeing some new items are maturing for you. We experimented with planting some sweet corn in a hoop house this late winter and we have our first harvest of sweet corn available this week. We also started harvesting some potatoes and have our first potatoes of the season as well. Tomatoes have been great the last few weeks and many other garden veggies are available as well. More and more crops will be coming weekly and we cant wait to cook and share with you. Below is a great fun recipe you must try this summer.

Our July 30th farm dinner still has a few seats available and we hope you can join us for a fun night on the farm. Please book your seat soon. we only have a few seats left….

This Corn and Tomato Salad is your new favorite summer salad! This salad is great for a picnic or just throwing in your refrigerator to snack on all day. I am a sucker for corn in any way it comes, but this salad might top the list of my favorite uses of corn on the cob. It tastes incredibly fresh, is a great use for your basil, takes no time, and is delicious served both warm or chilled. The lemon dressing in this salad brightens up the whole dish, the Parmesan adds depth, and the toasted panko brings the perfect amount of crunch. This recipe is a variation on a recipe from my favorite cookbook, Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables by Joshua McFadden. It is not a vegetarian cookbook but the majority of the recipes are meatless. If you don’t have that one I encourage you to pick it up. Six Seasons is a great guide for learning how to use seasonal produce.

I encourage you to also try your own variations on this salad. Maybe top it with a fried green tomato or a poached egg?! Now that I’ve said it, I have got to try that. Have fun and enjoy!

Corn and Tomato Salad with Lemon Dressing

• 3 Ears of Corn

• 15 Cherry Tomatoes, halved or any fresh vine ripe tomato

• 5 Scallions, sliced

• 1/4 c Panko Breadcrumbs

• Handful Basil, coarsely chopped

• Handful Mint, coarsely chopped

• 2 tbsp Olive oil

• Flaked sea salt

• Shaved parmesan

• Lemon Dressing (recipe below)

1. Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to pan. Add panko to pan, tossing to coat in olive oil. Stir continuously to make sure the panko does not burn. Heat until breadcrumbs turn a golden brown. Remove breadcrumbs from pan and set aside.

2. Cut corn off of the cob, scraping downwards. Heat the same skillet to medium-high heat and add another 1 tbsp of olive oil. When hot, add corn. Toss to coat in the olive oil. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10-15 minutes or until some kernels are lightly browned. Remove from heat to cool. (Alternatively you can grill the corn on the cob and then remove the kernels from the cob)

3. Place corn in a large mixing bowl. Add cherry tomato halves, scallions, basil, mint, and lemon dressing. Toss to coat.

4. Plate servings of corn salad. Top with toasted panko, shaved parmesan and flaked sea salt to taste.

Lemon Dressing

• 1 Lemon, juiced + zest from one lemon

• 4 tbsp Olive oil

• 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard

• 1 tsp Sugar

• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt, fine

• 1/2 tsp Freshly ground pepper

Place all ingredients into a small jar with a lid. Shake to combine ingredients.

Hi Farm Friends,

As many of you know we are not attending farmers markets this year. We wanted to make more room in our schedule to offer more experiences on our farm. We have always had a vision to create more experiences and value at our farm sharing delicious food and creating products for our farm community. We are happy to announce the Wood Fired Supper Club at our farm Field To Fork. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or come visit the farm to learn more.

June… June…

Here we go! The days are really long. The Nights are really short! The hummingbirds have returned and the meadow larks are circling as we work in the garden and singing to us in the morning.

Summer crops are returning to our dinner plates and we are looking forward to a good season as everything is progressing quickly. We hope you have a great summer ahead and we cant wait to be part of your kitchen.

xxoo your farmers,

Scott, Jess & Clive

Good Day Farm Friends, We are in need of a little time to prepare the summer garden and organize for the annual plant sale .

To best prepare for the busy summer season ahead we will not open the farm stand May 7-9.

We will re-open as usual the following Thursday May 12 with fresh produce as well as our annual plant sale. We will be offering our favorite heirloom, organic and gourmet variety veggie crops as well as our favorite commercial cut flower crops over the next month.

Thank you for all your support the spring season has been a blast. Summer temps are quickly approaching and we are really excited to plant sweet corn, watermelons, cantaloupes, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and more… and we have so much to look forward to and grow for you. Thank you for your patience and support but mostly… make it a great week and Happy Mothers Day to all.

Your Farmers,

Field To Fork

Spring Farm Stand Hours:

Thursday 2pm - 6pm

Friday 2pm - 6pm

Saturday 10am - 3pm

I have been wanting to take a minute to write a welcome spring blog but we have been so busy working in the greenhouses and running the farm stand, time has not been on my side. Our Son Clive broke his leg 6 weeks ago and OMG we have realized how much he does around the farm. With him not able to do his chores collecting the chicken eggs and helping with other household chores we have had the chance to see how helpful his efforts have been the last year as he began taking on more chores and desire to earn money. Lucky for all of us he gets his cast off soon and we are all excited to get back to our routine. We also hope you look forward for this summer as Clive will begin helping opening the farm stand and you will probably see him running the sales counter more.

We especially want to thank everyone who came to the farm stand this winter and early spring we have been amazed with the support and kindness of our farm community. Thank you everyone, your support has set us up for a great summer season ahead. Your early support sets everything in motion and you will be rewarded with great produce, eggs, pastured meats and flowers. All your feed back has made us very happy.

Farm Fresh Eggs

Many outdoor crops are about to be planted and we are busy growing plants in our nursery for our summer crops. We have organic seeds for you to grow a garden as well and we will also begin offering a wide selection of summer variety garden plants and flowers soon for your garden.

We have the spring crazies on the farm and we are very busy. Please visit during our farm stand hours.

Spring Farm Stand Hours:

Thursday 2pm - 6pm

Friday 2pm - 6pm

Saturday 10am - 3pm

Get ready, we are taking a short road trip to source fresh citrus from talented growers out of Fallbrook California. We will shut the farm stand this week Feb 3-5 due to the timing of the crops being available.

Please come visit us as we will return thursday but we wont be able to open until Friday so plan accordingly the farm stand will be open…

Farm Stand Hours Feb 11-13

Friday 2-dusk

Saturday 10-3

Sunday 10-3

This art is so beautiful the L.A. times has some awesome recipes available with Citrus and I will being doing resarch and post more recipies soon as well. See you soon!

As we move closer to spring our most bountiful crops are leafy greens. I know we all get a little bored with greens as the season progresses but I want to help you make the most Epic Salads that will not bore you. Salads seem like a obligation side dish that we might feel like we need to eat to get more veggies in our diets but we think salads can be so much more and can be the star of the meal. So lets get started.

Step 1: You need good lettuce and hearty greens, delicious roots and fresh herbs.

The best salads use the most fresh vegetables, herbs and lettuce harvested hours before you purchase. Since you are reading this you know where the best lettuce can be found.

At our farm we harvest fresh lettuces many time through our each week to have the best lettuce available for our customers. We raise many types and offer salad blends, whole head lettuce, mustards, endives, herbs and more. But lets get into the formulas that create salads you will never forget.

2. The Formula Unlocking Textures and Flavors

Fats: Fats help us trap flavor so when we add fats we can enhance the flavors because the fats help coat our mouth so we can taste the salad components longer. You can think of fats as Avocados, Oils, Nuts or seeds. We like all of these items on our salads.

Acids: Acids help enhance flavors because they stimulate our taste buds. When thinking of acids you can think of citrus and vinegars.

Aromatics: Aromatics are ingredients that help enhance the flavor garlic, onions, spices and herbs.

Step 3. Action Lets cook and use the formula

Warm Pearl Couscous Salad

Salad

• 1 cup (200 g) uncooked pearl couscous

• 2 tsp (10 mL) olive oil

• 2 cups (370 g) cooked chickpeas

• 2 cups watermelon radish, tokyo roots or salad radish quartered

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes or snack peppers

• 3 cups butter lettuce

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

• ½ cucumber, sliced into half-moons

• ¼ cup (34 g) sliced black olives

• 3 Tbsp (17 g) fresh mint leaves, chopped

• 2 Tbsp (3 g) fresh basil, chopped

• 2 Tbsp (2 g) fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

• ¼ cup (32 g) roasted almonds, chopped (optional)

Directions

1. Cook the couscous according to the package instructions. When cooked, drain.

2. Meanwhile, to a medium pan on medium-high heat, add the oil, chickpeas, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 5 - 7 minutes, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes have softened a little bit. Remove from the heat before the tomatoes become too soft.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dressing.

4. To a large bowl, add the drained couscous, tomato and chickpea mixture, cucumber slices, olives, and fresh herbs. Add fresh butter lettuce or serve on the side. Add the dressing, toss to combine, spinkle over the almonds, and enjoy!

   Dressing

   • 3 Tbsp (45 mL) olive oil

   • 3 Tbsp (45 mL) red wine vinegar

   • 1 Tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice

   • ¼ tsp paprika powder

Storage

• The salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge separate from the dressing for up to 3 days. Combine the dressing and salad when ready to enjoy.

Massaged Umami Kale

Kale pairs best with salad dressings that are intensely flavourful, which is certainly the case with the salad dressing featured in this recipe.

Salad

• 10 kale leaves

• ½ lemon, juiced*

• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) tahini

• 1 Tbsp (15 mL) water

• 1 Tbsp (15 mL) sodium-reduced soy sauce

• 1 tsp (5 mL) olive oil

• 1 tsp (5 mL) sesame oil

• ½ tsp miso paste

• ½ tsp onion powder

• 1 pinch ground black pepper
  Directions

  1. Remove the leaves of the kale from the stem. We don’t want to keep the stems as they are too tough to eat. Then cut or rip the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Baby Kale is the best for this salad.

  2. Place the kale in a large bowl and massage with your hands for 2 - 3 minutes until it's reduced in volume, soft and tender.

  3. In a separate small bowl, mix together all of the remaining ingredients.

  4. Pour the dressing over the kale, and massage it into the kale as best you can. The more the kale is massaged, the less bitter the taste, and the easier it becomes to chew and digest.

  5. Top with the desired toppings and enjoy!

     Toppings

     • 2 Tbsp (4 g) nutritional yeast

     • 2 Tbsp (20 g) dried cranberries

     • 3 Tbsp (27 g) roasted pumpkin seeds

     • ¼ cup (34 g) toasted pine nuts

  Notes

  • Make-ahead: you can make the dressing ahead of time and also massage the kale ahead of time and store them separately in the fridge. When ready to serve, simply toss together.

  Storage

  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, if the kale and sauce are stored separately.

  • If already mixed, best if enjoyed within 1 - 2 days.

Creamy Coleslaw with Tahini Dijon Mustard

Creamy, Crunchy, Satisfying, Nutritious, this coleslaw can be enjoyed alone or as a topping for burgers or tacos.

• 5 cups (320 g) shredded green cabbage

• 2 medium carrots, shredded

• ½ daikon radish, shredded, drained (optional)

• ⅓ cup (48 g) roasted sunflower seeds

  Dressing

  • 1 lime, juiced

  • ⅓ cup (80 mL) tahini

  • 1 Tbsp (15 mL) Dijon mustard

  • ⅓ cup (80 mL) water

  • 2 tsp (10 mL) apple cider vinegar

  • 2 tsp (10 mL) agave syrup

    Place all of the dressing ingredients in a blender on high, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides. Continue until creamy. Alternatively, whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl.

  • Toss all salad ingredients and dressing in a large bowl. Ideally, allow the salad to sit for at least 15 minutes for the cabbage to soften. Serve and enjoy!

  Storage

  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

We had a great 2021 season. Thank you everyone for all your interest and support in our farm. We are Closed for the next month but will quickly re-open January 29 for the Winter Salad Bar. Please email us if you have any questions regarding the upcoming 2022 season.