Things to Do With Mint

A quick and easy way to use up big quantities of mint. You can eat the gelato as is, or drop a scoop of it in ice tea, or do as the Italians do and have it for breakfast with a brioche.

Mint Granita
Active time: 15 min
Start to finish: 3 1/2 hr (includes freezing)

2 cups water
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup sugar*
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Garnish: fresh mint leaves

Bring water, mint, and sugar to a boil in a 1- to 2-quart saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 3 minutes.
Add lemon juice and pour through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing hard on solids and discarding them. Bring to room temperature and then refrigerate till cold.
Freeze mixture in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart shallow nonreactive metal container, stirring and crushing lumps with a fork every 30 minutes, until evenly frozen, 2 to 3 hours. Scrape with a fork to lighten texture, crushing any lumps.
Spoon into glasses or bowls. Makes 4 servings.
(Recipe from Gourmet)

*Instead of sugar, I used stevia powder, following the measurement substitutions on the stevia package.

Recipes: Garlic Scape Pesto

Garlic Scape Pesto - submitted by Andrea Bazler

Ingredients:

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice
1/4 lb garlic scapes
1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste

Preparation:

Puree scapes and olive oil in a food processor until smooth. Stir in Parmesan adn lime/lemon juice and season to taste. Serve on bread, crackers or pasta.

Recipes: Rhubarb Crisp (Best Ever!)

Rhubarb Crisp - Best Ever! - submitted by Nicole Ethier

Ingredients:

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
4 cups sliced rhubarb
1 cup granulated sugar (white)
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Preparation:

In mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, butter and cinnamon; mix together until crumbly. Press half of the brown sugar and oats mixture into a buttered 8-inch square baking dish. Top with the sliced rhubarb.

In a saucepan combine 1 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, adn the 1 cup water and vanilla. Cook together until clear, then pour over rhubarb.

Top rhubarb wtih remaining crumb mixture and bake at 350F for 45-55 minutes.

Recipes: Swiss Chard Phyllo Pastry

Swiss Chard Phyllo Pastry - submitted by Joy Montgomery
Serves 6

1 pkg phyllo pastry
1 bunch of swiss chard
1 bunch of swiss chard
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
melted butter - start with 1/4 cup and you may need more
Feta cheese

Preparation:
1) Saute an onion and a couple cloves of minced garlic in a few Tbsp oil in a big pot over medium heat.
2) Meanwhile, wash and chop a bunch of swiss chard. If you roll all the leaves together lengthwise, then slice thinly, it gets the job done quickly and easily.
3) With the water still clinging to the leves, add to the pot adn cover - temp should be just medium.
4) Steam it for a few minutes, then stir things up a bit and steam a fwe more minutes. The volume will be greatly reduced when done - the leaves should be tender, but not overdone.
5) Remove from heat. Add some crumbled feta cheese - no fixed amount here - it's up to you!
6) Add freshly ground pepper - taste test...yum...taste test again...OK.
7) Set aside to cool.
8) Open the thawed phyllo pastry adn unroll it. I cut the whole stack of sheets in 1/2 and save the rest for another time.
9) Take 1 sheet - don't worry if it rips - and brush with melted butter. Put another sheet on top and brush that sheet with melted butter.
10) Put another sheet on top (sheet #3) and put a nice heaping soupspoon worth of chard on top in the middle of one of the short edges.
11) Roll up the phyllo and filling - when a couple of inches fromt eh end, tuck both of the sides under, then roll the rest of the way, sealing the roll with more melted butter.
12) Place on baking sheet, and brush all over with melted butter.
13) Repeat with remaining filling until all chard is used up.
14) Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 6.

These rolls are absolutely delicious and good served hot or cold. Enjoy!

Welcome to the Whole Food Box CSA 2007!

The Whole Food Box is a community supported agriculture initiative that was started in 2001, in the attempt to bring healthful, fresh, whole organically locally grown produce to downtown Kitchener at affordable prices.

The program has expanded over the years to now provide boxes to 100 member households who purchase shares in advance to receive fresh produce from mid-June to the end of October. The produce is grown by the many hard-working family members at 9 small Old Order Mennonite & Amish farms in the Waterloo Region, offering economic supports to those farms as well as building stronger connections within our larger community.

The produce is distributed at the back of the Working Centre's Queen Street Commons Cafe, (43 Queen St. S.) conveniently located in downtown Kitchener, every Tuesday & Thursday between 4-6 pm. Extra produce is often available for sale on the "side", so non-members are welcome to come by and browse.

The first pick-up for 2007 is Tuesday, June 12th, from 4-6 pm.