teens ‘r’ us

Thankfully, not every vegetable reaches its peak at the baby or toddler stage. Some of them are actually best (and a bargain) during that awkward teenage period. Perfect examples? Teen leeks…raised with a gentle but firm hand by Susan Davidson at Glorious Organics. At this age, they strike a delicious balance of mild garlic/onion flavour and tender texture, particularly in a slow braise with fresh herbs and other seasonal vegetables.

new crop, vintage flavours

Given the Similkameen Valley’s typically ideal growing conditions for field tomatoes, you can forgive Kevin and Annemarie Klippenstein’s enthusiasm for variety. Their farm’s website lists five pages and over 100 heirloom tomatoes in full organic production, including tasting-is-believing types like Chocolate Stripes, Marbled Pear and Cream Sausage. Dozens of perfectly sun-ripened Klippers Acres varieties arrive at biovia’s door every week just waiting to inspire your next tomato creation.

think pink

A classic victim of bad PR and a less-than-flattering name, turnips deserve a lot more respect. These mild-flavoured and crunchy roots are best at golf-ball size, and true turnip-heads say they’re best eaten raw, and peeling is for wimps. Sliced or shaved salad turnips are great on sandwiches, or borrow a page from Lebanese cuisine and give them a quick pickling. These Sorrento beauties will be around until the first frost, and are also perfectly peppery braised with leeks.

apples of summer

Unlike their late fall cousins, these crisp, juicy summer apples follow the maxim espoused by local rock legends Trooper i.e. ‘here for a good time, not a long time,’ so the time to enjoy them in salads and quick compotes is now. The Sumac variety is named for its skin colour not unlike the (unrelated) sumac berry, and comes from the organic orchards of VenAmour near Cawston.

sweet nuggets

About a century ago, CPR trains got help from special booster engines to move their carloads of freshly-mined silver and gold up the steep grades of Notch Hill.  These days, the golden nuggets rolling out of Sorrento are coming from Sue Moore’s Notch Hill Organics. Sweet and mild, these beets add a sweet, golden touch to any summer salad or braised veg dish, and are a pleasant surprise on a local cheese platter.

on the cob

Chowder…succotash…ice cream. Just a few of the hundreds of ways to showcase the tender, nutty sweetness of local organic Fraserland corn on your menu. Picked daily for another month or so.

cool breezin’

Nothing says cool like a fresh cucumber.  These Sea Breeze organic cukes from Notch Hill also add a dimension rarely found in standard varieties— honest-to- goodness taste. They’re the perfect complement to local heirloom tomatoes in an all-BC gazpacho.

cherry (flavour) bombs

Ten of the 120-plus heirloom tomato varieties ripening down on Klippers Acres can best be described as miniature flavour explosives. Don’t categorize these multi-coloured gems as garden-variety garnishes; create dishes to celebrate them. Yes, they’re that tasty.