Wow did the chilly mornings of the last few days catch you by surprise. They certainly caught me off guard! It feels like winter has arrived even though it is not yet 1st June. I am pleased to see the sun out this morning. A cool start is fine if followed by a sunny day. Do you agree?
The photo above is of Plantasy Nursery is our pop up this week – Plantasy Nursery – our pop up this week for beautiful plants to give your garden colour now!
Fennel is the vegie of the week this week. It is fully in season now and is available at several of our farm stalls so grab some this week and discover how simple it is to add to a salad.
Fennel is so versatile and with its slight aniseed flavour and it adds a superb taste and texture to salads. It is also delicious cooked and I can’t go past Yotam Ottolenghi for his inspiration. His Braised Fennel with Capers and Olives is now a family favourite. It takes only 30 minutes to cook and is worth every minute. See below for this recipe.
I also love the crunchiness of fennel so adore it sliced thinly in a salad and especially shaved fennel with blood orange slices, pecan pieces and drizzled with roasted macadamia crumbs and maca oil 😋. Add a dob of yoghurt and chopped fennel tops. Or, how about an apple and fennel salad with pecans! Served on a bed of lettuce both these salads make a delicious and healthy lunch or side salad for any meal.
Jumping Red Ant has lettuce for the first time this week. They have planted a variety in very long rows at their Bilambil site. They are all ready for harvesting.There is an abundance of lettuces generally right now with Summit Organics, Sylva Lining Organics and Bio Organic Farm all having beautiful green and red lettuce.
Last week I bought some fava bean tempeh (at our new Sol Ghee stall) and have been enjoying it warmed up, sliced and served wrapped in a lettuce leaf or three with grated carrot, beetroot and a dash of tahini salad dressing or some pickled ginger. A perfect lunch while at home.
This week we have cauliflowers at the market – well at least a few. They are not prolific yet so next week I will offer you some cauliflower recipes including one of my favourites – baked caulis.
Check out all the fabulous root vegies. So much to enjoy and munch on.
This week let’s celebrate another farm team – Tweed River Pecans. A big thank you to Kaye and David for all that you do to bring us seasonal pecans to enjoy for most of the year.
The photo shows the harvest crew lifting pecans off the mats and into the bins. After 6 weeks of this they are still smiling – wow!