Category Archives: recipes

Chewy Molasses Ginger Cookie Recipe

These chewy gingersnaps (aka molasses cookies) are super dooper. Heather’s been baking these bad boys for over a decade, and has made many cookie lovers happy as a result. MIX/CREAM TOGETHER: 1 1/2 cups butter 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup molasses 2 … Continue reading

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Green beans

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We usually just eat our green beans raw as a snack or cut up into a salad, or saute them for 10 minutes or so in butter and crushed garlic. For fancier recipes, here are some good ideas we’ve found: … Continue reading

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McLeod Family Salsa Recipe

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A good salsa recipe can be hard to find, so here’s ours. We’ve eaten entire jars in a single sitting. Combine in a very large pot: 3 cups chopped onions 3/4 cup chopped sweet peppers 6 chopped hot peppers 1 … Continue reading

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Fresh Beans

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When it’s bean season, watch out: they are abundant! Luckily, there are many ways to make the most of the harvest. These snappy treats are delicious raw as well as cooked, and can even be pickled for off-season enjoyment. Fresh … Continue reading

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Potatoes

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There are thousands of potato varieties grown around the world, and it can be exciting to see (and taste!) the differences when you use different potatoes in your everyday recipes. In addition to baking, roasting or lightly boiling potatoes, two … Continue reading

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Leeks

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Think of leeks as a super-tasty onion. They can be used instead of (or in addition to) onions in any meal, or can be cleaned, cut up and BBQed or sautéed and served as their own delicious side dish. Leek … Continue reading

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Cauliflower

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The classic recipe for this staple vegetable is to steam it and serve it with cheese sauce, or to serve it raw with veggies and dip, but cauliflower can do much more. Try steaming or boiling the florets until they’re … Continue reading

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Cabbage

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Three cheers for cabbage! It fueled the workers who built the Great Wall of China, kept seafaring explorers from getting scurvy, and is jam-packed with vitamin C. If you have an older cabbage hiding in your fridge, just peel off … Continue reading

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Fresh-pulled Garlic

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We pull our garlic plants in June/July. Fresh, “uncured” garlic is moister than the usual “cured” garlic, but can be crushed, baked, diced, etc. just like normal garlic. Storage Store your garlic plant in a cool, drafty place, ideally out … Continue reading

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Beets

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Cut off the stems and green tops, leaving up to 1” of stem on the beet bulb. Refrigerate the greens in a closed bag until you steam or stirfry them for dinner. Store your beet bulbs with the root tips … Continue reading

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Lettuce Wraps

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Big, beautiful lettuce leaves are a perfect replacement for taco shells or tortillas, especially if you’re striving to eat more vegetables (and less corn or wheat). Once prepared, all your ingredients can be kept in the fridge and brought out … Continue reading

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Kale

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Here are two ways to incorporate healthy kale leaves into your menu aside from the usual steam or sauté methods: First … 1. Rinse/wash your kale leaves. (If the stems are thick, pull them off and sauté them separately.) Dry … Continue reading

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Zucchini

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Abundant and versatile, zucchini are a mainstay of summer eating. Our default recipe is to sauté sliced zucchini with crushed or minced garlic cloves and a little oil/butter: it’s a delicious, easy side dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Other … Continue reading

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Leafy Greens

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Kale, Chard, Spinach, Beet Tops, Etc … Here’s an easy recipe that applies to pretty much any leafy green: 1. Cut off the stems if they’re denser than the leaves and eat these separately (sautéed or roasted, or chopped and … Continue reading

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Fennel

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If you enjoy anise or black licorice, fennel is your vegetable. The foliage is especially aromatic and flavourful, although the bulb is more often the star in the kitchen. Fennel is a wonderful ingredient in soup (try it with leeks, … Continue reading

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Kohlrabi

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Kohlrabi is one of the strangest looking and least known vegetables, but it’s well worth getting to know. While the leaves and stems can be cooked and eaten, the highlight is the bulb. Before biting in to the bulb, peel … Continue reading

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Garlic Scapes

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There are many fresh foods that I didn’t know existed until we started our farm, including radish seed pods, stinging nettles, kale buds and garlic scapes. In the early spring we dine on steamed shoots from over-wintered kale (they taste … Continue reading

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Strawberries

Like all fruits and vegetables, there are many, many different kinds of strawberries. Two categories of strawberries are “June-bearing” and “ever-bearing.” June-bearers are more common in the Cowichan Valley: they produce heavily in June/July, then focus on reproducing through runners … Continue reading

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Stinging Nettles

Our farm has two nettle patches: one up front by the old sheep shed, and another larger patch in the back by our orchard. Every April the nettles start to grow, and I wander out on weekends to harvest bag-fulls … Continue reading

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Roasted Seasonal Vegetables

Roasted veggies is a favourite sidedish of ours. It’s adaptable to what’s seasonally available, and the leftovers can be used in soups or reheated as-is (great for breakfast, along with eggs and toast!). Optional ingredients Kohlrabi: stems cut into bite-sized … Continue reading

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Winter Squash

One secret weapon for seasonal eaters like us is winter squash. Harvested in the fall, winter squash will keep for months if stored properly. Squash = creamy soups, easy side dishes, rich pies and other treats through the winter and … Continue reading

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Recipe for (Almost) Any Leafy Green

First — a general word about: Leafy Greens Leafy greens are an excellent asset to a garden: kale, chard and lettuce last well into the winter (and can overwinter, if protected from extreme cold or snow). The plants will continue … Continue reading

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Pumpkin Pie

Why bother using canned pumpkin when it’s so easy to make pumpkin pie from scratch? Pumpkin pie can also be made with most winter squashes. Prepare the crust Make the pie shell. (Click here for Makaria Farm’s favourite pie crust … Continue reading

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Kale Chips

Kale chips taste a lot like potato chips, but are a much healthier (and niftier!) option. Wash and dry kale: use a salad spinner to get rid of excess moisture. Coat the leaves in olive oil or another flavourful oil … Continue reading

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Flaky Homemade Pie Crust

Hold onto your butt: Heather’s going to share her family’s famous pie crust recipe. Not that it’s a secret. We give it to anyone who asks. Strangely, even with a good recipe in hand, many people are intimidated by the … Continue reading

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