August has come, harvest season is upon us now. It starts slowly, but as the month goes on and the sun’s rays trigger that inevitable march towards the fall equinox, our plants know what to do, and our hard work in spring begins to bear fruit and flowers.

For lovers of fresh produce it is a glorious time to visit the farmers market, with variety at its peak. So over the month we’re talking to local farmers and other food producers  and asking them for their thoughts and musings on eating local, plus their  favourite recipes for food fresh from our local fields and forests.

Nadya Bell, Dave Mundy, and Sonny are Dancing Roots, a family farming adventure with grandparents John Bell and Cathy Smallwood, at their property in Portugal Cove. We start our edible adventure there.

Dancing Roots: Russian Heirloom Tomato Sandwiches
By Nadya Bell and Dave Mundy 

So local food means to us, what were we eating this spring, what are we eating right now, and what are we going to be eating in August.

Our May recipe is spring egyptian onion soup in a chicken broth, with kale tops and stinging nettles, maybe a few glass noodles, and asian seasonings.

Then we EAT ALL OF THE PEAS in July.

And if I remember right, in a good August, we eat open faced Russian heirloom tomato sandwiches with garlic scape mayo, sea salt, minced basil, cracked black pepper on toasted sourdough bread. Basically a lazy man’s bruschetta, if you get what we’re throwin’ down.

Now, a toasted tomato sandwich might not seem like anything fancy when it comes to food. But the process goes like this:

  • Start in March planting tomato seeds – Pervaya Lubov, Zolotye Kupola, Moravski Div, etc.
  • Grow the tomatoes in a greenhouse, this takes constant care all summer.
  • Bake the bread (get some sourdough culture, order the good organic flour from G. J. Shortalls).
  • And grow some herbs and garlic too, for that you’ll need to start last year.
  • Toast, spread the mayo, lovingly cut the tomatoes, and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Because the food is as delicious as the energy you put into it, and, as the saying goes, there are two things you can’t buy: Love and Homegrown Tomatoes.

Hope you’re all having a fat harvest!