May long…
for my neighbours in Saskatoon last night it means midnight fireworks on the golf course… for many farmer’s wives it means taking your boy to spring hockey tournaments…
for farmers it means seeding (the odd year we are done by May long but not lately… and the odd year there are combines out)…
it also is the cut-off date for planting a garden… according to everyone’s grandmothers… you better have it in by May long! I actually try to get my garden in as early in May as possible so I actually can fully use it during harvest… and so no grandmas say ‘I told you so’…
my attempts to preserve food are not down to a science… so it needs to get used up in the fall…
asparagus is the first thing I harvest from my garden and is one of my favourites…
easy to have in your garden – you just burn the old, dried up remains of last years crop and watch these new little guys stick their heads up through the ashes…
this recipe you can make as large or small as you need it – or dependant on your asparagus harvest!
asparagus blueberry spring salad
Ingredients:
Salad:
- asparagus, washed and trimmed
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- olive oil (I used dill flavoured)
- arugula
- blueberries
- candied hazelnuts
- feta cheese
- balsamic vinaigrette
Candied Hazelnuts:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 cups raw hazelnuts
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 heaping tbsp dijon
Directions:
- saute the asparagus in olive oil for a few minutes and let cool (do not overcook)
- assemble the rest of the salad items
- for the candied hazelnuts, preheat oven to 350 degrees
- melt the butter and add the rest of the ingredients
- toss with the hazelnuts and pour over a parchment lined baking sheet
- bake for 15 minutes
- let cool and break apart
- for the vinaigrette, in a small mason jar shake the ingredients and pour over the salad
this was my mother’s day gift… just received it from Amazon… an Instant Pot… I mostly wanted it because now that I am a vegetarian, I don’t have a giant interest anymore in cooking with meat… 🙂
but the farmer is still very much a meat-a-tarian... so the meat needs to get cooked…
this is the solution… you can throw frozen hunks of meat in this miracle pressure cooker and ‘wa-la’… cooked hunk of meat is served!
I did not read any instructions and only had time to watch three YouTube videos so please do your own research when dealing with a pressure cooker…
all I know is that you throw frozen meat in with some water and it cooks it…
I drained the roast and threw in the sauce ingredients and put the lid on again to let it work it’s magic…
I’m sure I’m late to the game to realize this amazing kitchen tool that can saute, pressure cook and slow cook is a must have in your kitchen… better late than never – am I right?
by the way – look on Kijiji for a well used crockpot… only asking what my farmer spent on my Instant Pot (plus shipping)
Instant Pot tear away beef
Ingredients:
– 4 lb roast
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup bbq sauce
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 2 cups chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp salt
Directions:
- take frozen roast and place in Instant Pot with 1 cup of water
- on manual setting, set timer for 40 minutes
- when timer is done and you have released the steam, drain the roast and cut it up
- add the roast and the rest of the ingredients back to the Instant Pot
- on manual setting set timer for 25 minutes
- when done, release the steam and serve!
I know I said my coconut lime rice was the best rice ever… I take it back…
green rice
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch spinach, stemmed
- 1 bunch cilantro, stemmed
- 1/2 bunch Italian parsely, stemmed
- 2 jalapeno peppers, one seeded (the other leave some seeds)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
Directions:
- in a Vitamix, blend spinach, cilantro, parsley and jalapeños with 1 cup of the vegetable stock
- in a saucepan on med/high heat, add olive oil and saute the onions and garlic
- add the rice and pour in the vegetable stock
- add the blended mixture from the Vitamix, cover and let simmer on low for 15 minutes
- turn heat off and let sit for another 10 minutes
- fluff the rice and serve
this is a ‘light’ version of a berry crisp and is packed with energy boosting ingredients…
and my theory is that farmers need a boost of energy around dinner time… due to the fact that my farmer finishes his lunch by 8 am some days…
berry crumble
Ingredients:
- 3 cups strawberries, chopped
- 3 cups frozen blueberries
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp tapioca starch or cornstarch
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- serve with coconut milk ice cream (if you aren’t taking it to farmers!)
Directions:
- preheat oven to 400 degrees
- spray a 8×8 inch baking dish (or larger if you have more berries) with a cooking spray
- in a large bowl, toss berries with lemon juice and tapioca starch or cornstarch
- place in baking dish
- in a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and pour over the berries
- bake for 25-30 minutes
- let cool to set
- serve with coconut milk ice cream that your daughter made that evening in the Vitamix!
i feed a farmer 
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