Weekly Update: Creative Cooking with Our Harvest

As we move deeper into autumn, our community farm enters a quieter phase. The intense summer and early-autumn harvests are slowing down, and now we get to enjoy the beautiful abundance stored from earlier in the season. Our weekly veggie share still brings us wonderful ingredients: carrots, potatoes, onions, pumpkins, garlic, cabbages, flour, and beets, all grown naturally, without pesticides or chemicals. Pure, honest food straight from our soil.

This Saturday’s harvest distribution made me think creatively again. What can you do with flour, green cabbage, garlic, red beets, a handful of carrots, and leek? When you mix and match them, a surprising number of combinations are delicious:

beets + leek, beets + carrots, cabbage + potatoes + carrots, and with some onions, garlic, herbs and spices, there’s always a complete, flavourful dish waiting to be created. So, here are three new inspiring recipes, each tested in my kitchen and ready for you to explore and adapt with your own twist.

1. Warm Beet–Leek Salad

A colourful and hearty dish, perfect as lunch or a side.

Ingredients:

• 3–4 red beets

• 1 onion, chopped

• 3–4 mid-sized leeks (in rings)

• Garlic & ginger (to taste)

• Olive oil

• White balsamico

• 1 tsp sambal (more if you like it spicy)

• Vegetable broth

Preparation:

1. Wrap the beets in aluminium foil and roast at 200°C for about 30 minutes (larger beets may need longer).

2. In a frying pan, sauté the onion in olive oil. Add the leek rings and continue stirring gently.

3. Add chopped garlic and ginger.

4. When the mixture becomes soft and fragrant, add a splash of white balsamico, a spoon of sambal, and a bit of vegetable broth.

5. Chop the roasted beets into small cubes and fold them into the pan.

6. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve lukewarm with toast, flatbread, or baguette.

2. Beet–Carrot–Lentil Salad

A nutritious, filling, earthy salad—great warm or cold.

Ingredients:

• Roasted beets (see recipe 1) cut in cubes

• 3–4 carrots (cut in cubes, briefly cooked until “bitey”)

• Lentils, cooked on low heat for ~20 minutes

• Herbs: parsley, basil, coriander (optional)

Dressing:

• Mustard

• Olive oil

• White balsamico

• Apple vinegar

• Brown sugar

• Pepper

• Paprika powder

• A small amount of sambal

Preparation:

1. Put roasted beets, cooked carrots, and lentils in a large bowl.

2. Mix the dressing ingredients, taste, and adjust before adding.

3. Pour the dressing over the salad and add fresh herbs if you like.

Serve with bread for a satisfying meal.

3. Stuffed Green Cabbage Rolls with Potato–Carrot Mash

Comfort food inspired by autumn’s best vegetables.

Mash:

1. Cook chopped potatoes and carrots in vegetable broth.

2. Drain (but keep the broth!).

3. Add plant-based butter and cream; mash until smooth.

4. Season with pepper and add a little broth if needed.

Stuffed Cabbage:

1. Take a couple of nice cabbage leaves and set aside.

2. Slice the remaining cabbage into thin strips.

3. In a frying pan, sauté a chopped onion with plant-based mince, garlic, and ginger, add other spices to your liking

4. Add the sliced cabbage and fry a few minutes.

5. Add a splash of vegetable broth to steam it soft.

6. Blanch the whole cabbage leaves briefly in boiling water.

7. Place some of the filling on each leaf, roll them up, and serve with the mash.

Local Food, Local Care

These dishes are not just delicious, they’re a celebration of what our community farm stands for. By growing food naturally and respecting the soil, animals, and environment, we create a sustainable food system that supports both nature and ourselves. Healthy land means healthy vegetables, and healthy vegetables mean healthier people.

Enjoy cooking, enjoy experimenting, and enjoy the taste of truly local food.