How-To: Freeze Herbs (Cilantro)

If you're like me, sometimes you'll have more herbs than you know what to do with. And then sometimes, you'll be wishing you had that herb that you don't have.

The Everdale CSA offers free herbs as they are available. Never one to turn away from a good deal, I gathered up a large leafy bouquet of cilantro. Fine and dandy for summer and autumn, but how to keep cilantro-happy in the barren months of winter?

Freeze 'em! After a quick web search, seems like there are a few ways of freezing herbs:

• Freezing whole
• Freezing in water
  
• Freezing in oil

To solve this, I conducted a very un-scientific study to determine which of the 3 preserves cilantro the best, by trying all 3 methods and then later adding each one to a dish.

Result: freezing the cilantro WHOLE seemed to preserve more of the flavour than freezing in water or oil. Of course, none of the methods came close to the mellow aroma and crisp flavour of fresh cilantro.


How To Freeze Cilantro
Season: Summer to autumn

Trim the roots, and rinse very thoroughly. Pat or air dry.

If freezing whole: place cilantro in freezer bag, preferably in a single layer.

If freezing in water or oil: finely chop cilantro. Add to individual portion-sized containers (e.g. ice cube trays, pill pouches), or as a thin layer in a resealable bag (this will freeze in a 'sheet', and the amount you need can be broken off easily). Add just enough water or oil to saturate.

Freeze. Enjoy later.

Urban Foraging

One brisk autumn evening, I was downtown with 2 friends, walking home after dinner and a couple of drinks, when a spontaneous foraging moment reared its head.

Me: "Hey --- look over there, by that office building.... it's KALE!"
Friend #1: "That green plant? Are you sure???"
Me: "Helllll yeah I'm sure. It's definitely kale."
Friend #1: "Ok, be cool". Looks left and right, waits for other pedestrians to walk past.
Friend #1: *pick pick pick pick.....*
Me: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING???? Are you crazy??!?!"
Friend #1: "Hey, it's just going to go to waste anyway. This office building is just using it for decoration."
Friend #2: "......."

Well, Friend #1 was right. We walked by the same spot a couple of weeks later, and the remaining unharvested kale plants were wilted and dried up, ready to accept their wintery death.

Urban foraging ---- ethical or not? Discuss amongst yourselves. I'm not letting this kale go to waste. So here's a make-shift recipe if you ever find yourself with questionable kale in-hand.


Stir-Fried Kale
Season: Summer to autumn

Ingredients:

Leaves of 1 kale plant
2 cloves garlic --- minced
soy sauce
oil for frying

Directions:

Rinse the heck outta that kale. Not knowing how the kale was grown (... pesticides? fertilizers?), or what it absorbed from its surroundings (... car exhaust? doggie poo?), each wash will ease your mind a little more. Roughly chop leaves and blanch in a large pot of boiling water (30 sec). Heat a frypan or wok on high, add a little oil and garlic. Add kale leaves, and stir fry for about 2-3 mins. Add soy sauce to taste.

Recipe: Tomatillo Salsa

Tomatillos! Fun to say and pumps up your food know-how. This recipe was adapted slightly from Epicurious.com.


Tomatillo Salsa
Season: Autumn

Ingredients:

1 lb tomatillos --- husked, rinsed, and quartered
1 fresh hot chili pepper --- seeded and chopped
1/2 large white onion --- cut into wedges
2 garlic cloves --- roughly chopped
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
salt

Directions:

Coarsely purée tomatillos, chili pepper, onion, garlic and water in a blender. Transfer to a large heavy skillet and simmer, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature, then stir in cilantro, lime juice and salt to taste.

Recipe: Leek and Roasted Squash Soup

This is one of my favourite soup recipes, because it's so easy to make and understands if you have don't have enough (or too much) leeks or squash sometimes.


Leek and Roasted Squash Soup
Season: Late summer to autumn.
Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

2 leeks --- washed well and sliced thinly (green and white parts)
1 medium butternut squash --- skin and seeds* removed, cut into 3/4" cubes
oil --- e.g. local canola or soybean oil, or olive oil
salt and pepper
1" piece fresh ginger (optional) --- finely minced
3 cups vegetable stock (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Toss cubed squash with oil in a bowl to coat. Sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper. Place squash on baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 30 mins, or until cubes are soft and have caramelized slightly.

In a heavy-bottomed, large stockpot, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add leeks, stirring occasionally, until leeks are cooked (about 3-5 mins). If desired, add ginger and stir. Add vegetable stock or water, and roasted squash. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for 20 mins. For a chunkier soup, mash squash in soup with a whisk. For a smoother soup, blend in batches. Add salt and pepper as desired.

*Note: squash seeds can be saved and roasted for a delicious snack, or even to sprinkle on top of the squash soup.

Photo: Leek and Roasted Butternut Squash Soup (made very thick and chunky, the way me likey), with Veggie Pizza slice and Red Cabbage and Carrot slaw. The slaw dressing comes from The Veganomicon, and the pizza is my own creation. Send me a msg if you're interested in the recipes.

Recipe: Toasted Squash Seeds

A crunchy snack that's easy to make and addictive to eat. The whole seed (including hull) can be eaten. Spices, such as curry powder or cayenne, can be added for a kick.


Toasted Squash Seeds
Season: Late summer to autumn.

Ingredients:

Squash seeds - pumpkin, butternut, acorn --- pulp removed, rinsed and patted dry (or air dried)
oil --- e.g. local canola or soybean oil, or olive oil
fine sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300F. Toss seeds with a little oil, just enough to coat. Sprinkle salt and toss. Spread seeds onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Toast for 8-15 minutes, until slightly browned. Be sure to watch the seeds every so often to ensure they don't burn.

CSA --- A Locavore Baby Step

One of the first major milestones in my local food foray was signing up for a CSA this past summer.

CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a system whereby members support a farm operation by sharing the farm costs. In turn, the members receive a share of the harvest. Members usually pay up-front, early in the growing season when the farm operation needs the funds the most (VS the industrial model, where farmers are paid only AFTER the produce is purchased by the consumer.... this even goes for when you buy at the grocery store).

After researching several CSAs available in the Toronto area (e.g. Plan B, Green Earth, Mama Earth, Front Door), I selected Everdale. For me, it was the BEST choice BY FAR:

• Local pick-up (vs delivery.... not sure if it would work for those living in an apartment building)
• Select your own produce (vs receiving a box with surprise produce)
  
• All organic and local produce
• Bonus: free herbs!
  

Not only does Everdale run a CSA, but they also operate a not-for-profit Environmental Learning Centre --- providing farmer training, school programs, and educational tours and workshops open to the public. They are located about an hour's drive north-west of Toronto.

For more information about Everdale, visit www.everdale.org.

Photo: small Everdale share from early October, plus produce from the Trinity-Bellwoods Farmers Market -- carrots, beets, celeriac, potatoes, tomatoes, parsnips, onions, peppers, butternut squash.

Writer's note: I personally don't like the term "locavore". Though it's clever, it suggests "better-than-thou" and food snobbery. My aversion has grown considerably since I heard the term used on Lipstick Jungle (a TV show about 3 rich, whiny New York women) when the annoying, stuck-up character played by Brooke Shields was organizing a Locavore Thanksgiving. Barf.

Resource Material

Interested in learning more about the current food industrial food supply? Looking for some inspiration?

A couple of great reads that really gave me a swift kick-in-the-pants:

BOOKS

• "The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating" - Alisa Smith, JB Mackinnon
• "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals" - Michael Pollan

Happy Reading!

Introduction

Me: loves food + social issues. Organic, fair trade, slow food, and local food naturally piques my interest. But how can I participate? I live car-free in a small apartment in the city. Am I limited to relying only on sad little certification logos on products and produce sold by the nearby supermarket chain? Or is there some way I can get more involved ---------?

Enter Pots and Jars. Two vessels which can be used in small spaces to grow food plants.

Let the experiment begin.