Hi there!
Down at the farm Chefs Derek and Ashley are keeping busy in the kitchen; not only baking delicious pastries, but working hard to preserve the bounty of summer as well. There are three ways we use to preserve food: canning, freezing, and fermenting. We harvest items at peak freshness and prepare them in order to have farm fresh products all winter long.
This week we are introducing a new canned item: Dill Pickles. These are made with the 1000 pounds of pickling cucumbers our farm crew pulled from the vines last week. Plus we are celebrating the return of our delicious sauerkraut. Made from cabbage processed in June it is finally ready. Sauerkraut is made by a process called lacto-fermentation, which uses salt to protect against the formation of unhealthy bacteria, while the healthy bacteria (salt-resistant Lactobacillus) is allowed to grow. What you end up with is a probiotic filled living food that can last in your fridge for months at a time.
We are also busy freezing items for the winter share like blueberries, green beans, and soon, tomatoes, and sweet corn.
Wholesome Valley Farm will be hosting a canning meetup in August. Come down and can your own at the commercial kitchen down on the farm. Stay tuned for more info!
-Trevor and the Fresh Fork Market Team
