This week as I walked Forsythe Family Farms 2009 Inc. I headed to the fields to see what was being harvested. I came across these little plants with bushy green leaves – radishes!
I remember as a kid seeing these red and white vegetables at church picnics and family dinners and always thinking they were kind of weird, and a “grown up” food. Well, fast forward a couple decades, and now I know they are completely delicious and not the least bit weird.
Radishes are an early season crop, and they are very fast growers. After Farmer Forsythe plants his radishes he only has to wait about 21 to 28 days before they are ready to harvest! He looks for a firm, brightly coloured root and healthy leaves.
These are the small table radishes that you may come across in a salad. They are often served on their own or with other raw vegetables. They go well with yogurt and sour cream-based dips and add a peppery flavor to mixed greens. Or for a fresh, simple salad, you can grate carrots and radishes together and then toss with your favourite dressing.
These tasty little radishes are available for purchase at the market here on the farm, or you can find them at any of our regular farmers markets.
A new addition to Farm Life Fridays is Farm Word of the Week, where I’ll highlight a new or interesting word that you may have heard in conversation but not actually known what it means.
This week’s word is “scape.” Often in the urban world this word is attached to words such as "landscape" or "cityscape," but here on the farm a scape is the flower stalk of the garlic plant. These are removed to divert the plants energy into developing into a plump bulb instead of growing this scape. They start out growing straight and eventually start to curl. The farmer pulls them off and they can be used in a variety of tasty ways in the kitchen.
I also need to mention that we’re at the end of Local Food Week, which runs from June 6th until June 12th. Ontario has 37,000 farm families who take pride in the quality and variety of the food they produce and they’re grateful to Ontarians for buying them.
LoveOntFood.ca says “By buying local, you’re not only getting nutritious, delicious and environmentally friendly groceries – but you’re supporting your neighbours, friends and the local economy. We thank you for that!”
Forsythe Family Farms 2009 Inc. couldn’t agree more! They are incredibly thankful for the community’s support.
How do you celebrate local food?
Some people have been hosting BBQ’s and dinners using all local foods, and a great group of people got together for special farmers market on June 7th at the regional municipality of Durham Headquarters. You can also include #loveONTfood in your social media posts to show how you are enjoying local foods.
Did you host a BBQ recently or do you enjoy cooking with Ontario Fresh foods? Share here with a photo or comment below!