local food from our local farmer

Ok, so most of you know already that we participate in a Community Support Agriculture (CSA) program with a local farmer.  I wanted to give you a little insight to who that farmer is and how, as consumers, we are managing the seasonal nature of a year round CSA program (some days are easier than others!). 

Angie Peladeau and her family own and run Heritage Harvest Farm, a small local farm about 15 minutes from where we live.  They have tons of garden space, lots of open area for the animals to roam and munch and they take immense pride in what they do and how they do it.  I highly encourage you to check out their website and learn a little about their world and how it makes ours a better (and much yummier) one!  PS - she makes a killer sourdough-type bread that is to die for and surprisingly, doesn't seem to have the same negative impact on gluten-sensitive little old me... more research to do on that front!

We have been getting produce, eggs and meat from Angie for a couple of years now and this past spring we embarked on a bit of an experiment alongside them to participate in a year-round CSA program.  The reality of Canadian winters means most of our food from fall through spring came from the grocery stores (and therefore, the USA, Mexico, China, etc).   Long treks for a lot of that produce and while still healthy choices, less than ideal in terms of the impact on the environment. 

We have now entered that late fall season where the niceties of summer such as fresh herbs, zucchini and gorgeous tomatoes (oh, and hubby's fav - hot peppers) have vanished.  In their place though, we're discovering some goodies we've never had before - kohlrabi and different varieties of squash for example (and seriously, how did I not know about the magic of spaghetti squash before now?!)   Then there are the standbys - potatoes, beets, carrots, onions - lots of those this time of year!   

So, how are we managing the seasonal produce world?  Pretty well so far, though I'm trying to be creative, especially with potatoes - you can only have mashed taters so often before even I tire of them! Trips to the grocery store are few and far between and mostly to pick up things like lemons, limes, avocados and mushrooms - those don't do so well in our Canadian winters!  We'll see what the dead of winter brings and I'll discover how creative I can get.  Until then, here's a recipe with my new favourite veggie - spaghetti squash!

Herb Infused Spaghetti Squash

• 1 spaghetti squash, cut lengthwise
• fresh herbs of your choice and as much as you'd like (I particularly like thyme, basil, oregano)
• garlic, as much as you'd like, raw or roasted
• sea salt and pepper
• olive oil or butter (if it's butter, keep it organic)

Lightly oil a baking dish and place the squash, cut sides down.  Throw it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes (or until tender).   Remove it from the oven and let it cool a little so you can handle it; using a fork, scrape the squash out of the shell into a mixing bowl (this is where the magic happens - it is amazingly just like spaghetti!!)   The rest is easy - just add the ingredients of your choosing and toss with your squash!  This is fantastic as a side dish or light lunch. 

So many variations with spaghetti squash - treat it just like spaghetti and top with marinara sauce; prepare as above and add veggies of your choosing to make it a meal - hot OR cold!