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CBC
3 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Roast it. Grill it. Fry it. But don't overcook it! Asparagus season is here: Jasmine Mangalaseril
Social Sharing Asparagus season is underway, so now is the perfect time to enjoy the season's first local harvest. Asparagus plants grown from seed take three years to produce spears. Many growers plant one-year-old crowns (a string mop-like central group of stems surrounded by finger-like roots) to harvest their first crop sooner. Once established, crowns can produce for 20 years or longer. Crowns send up multiple spears. The hotter the weather, the faster they'll grow — sometimes 25 centimetres in 24 hours. On hot, humid days, they can be harvested twice a day. "You start at one part of the field, and you keep picking from when the sun comes up until you've picked the field. Then the next day you just start over again," said Tim Barrie, owner of Barrie's Asparagus Farm, near Cambridge, Ont. Barrie inherited the farm from his father, who switched from farming beef cattle to asparagus more than 50 years ago. The first crop "was an absolute fail." The second wasn't. "Every single spear [my parents] picked was sold. They just put a sign out. People drove in and they sold everything. So, they said, 'Okay, this is going to be pretty good,'" recalled Barrie. When the season ends, the spears grow into 2- to 2.5-metre-tall ferns, which gather energy for the next season. "If you stop picking it early, it'll start working on next year's crop early," explained Barrie. "You could keep going, but that would be really dumb because you're just hurting next year's crop." Not all the spears are destined for home or restaurant kitchens. Some are processed into sauces and other preserves. "It's actually a lot of fun talking to some of our partners about what products we're going to play around with," said Barrie. "A lot of these ideas just get bounced around between our family and friends." Their products include salsas, finishing salts, and antipasto. Horseradish mustard and zucchini relish are customer favourites. Asparagus tips Asela (Ace) Bulner, executive chef of Cambridge's Blackshop Restaurant, offers some suggestions for home cooks. "If the asparagus is not nice and green, that means it has been sitting in the storage for a bit," said Bulner. Bulner said for the best tasting asparagus, a cook should: Avoid tight rubber bands: Spears that stand in water too long will swell, making the bands tight. Look for tightly closed tips: If the scale leaves are opened out, they'll likely be fibrous. Keep them fresh: Stand them in an ice bath and cover the tips in a damp paper towel in the fridge. When it comes to cooking asparagus "you need that crunch. It has to be cooked, but it you need that bite. Otherwise, it's going to be mushy," said Bulner. When cooking asparagus, Bulner suggests the following: Ready in minutes: Regardless of cooking method, they only need a few minutes per side. The last to be grilled: Add the spears to the grill, after the proteins and other veg are done. Set the colour: Adding a little lemon juice to blanching water helps to keep the colour vibrant. Avoid overpowering herbs and spices: Try fresh herbs, including oregano or sage. Add a splash of sharpness: A squeeze of lemon or toss in dressings made with citrus juice, balsamic vinegar, or rice wine vinegar, to brighten flavour. "It depends on the dish you create. If you're having fish, you can use some dill, fennel. If you're [having] a steak, you have to keep it simple." Ace Bulner's Bang Bang Asparagus This crispy asparagus tempura is a perfect side or starter, served with dipping sauce. Here, ingredient temperature is important — cold ingredients will help to inhibit gluten formation, so your fried batter will be light and crispy. Yield: 4 Servings Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes 1 bunch fresh asparagus spears, trimmed 250 ml ice cold sparkling water or club soda 1 egg yolk, chilled 115 g (190 ml) all-purpose flour plus more for dusting 35 g (60 ml) cornstarch optional Pinch baking soda (optional) Neutral oil for deep frying (such as canola, grapeseed, sunflower, peanut), as needed Salt to taste Dipping sauce, to serve, such as nam jim aioli lemony mayo spicy mayo Pat dry asparagus spears. If they are thick, halve them lengthwise and set aside. In a high sided pot, heat 5 cm of oil to 175°C/350°F. Line a plate with paper towels to drain the cooked spears. While the oil is heating, gently whisk the yolk into the sparkling water. Lightly stir in flour, cornstarch (if using), and baking soda until just combined. The batter should be cold, lumpy, and not over mixed. When the oil is at temperature, work in batches to avoid overcrowding. Lightly dust spears in flour, then dip into batter. Let excess batter drip off. Carefully lower into hot oil. Fry for one to two minutes per side. When done, the spears should be lightly golden and crispy.
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
India's latest coffee hub? Beans and brews offer new hope to Nagaland
Dimapur, Mokokchung, Wokha, Chumoukedima and Kohima, India – With its high ceilings, soft lighting and brown and turquoise blue cushioned chairs, Juro Coffee House has the appearance of a chic European cafe. Sitting right off India's National Highway-2, which connects the northeastern states of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur, the cafe hosts a live roastery unit that was set up in January by the Nagaland state government. Here, green coffee beans from 12 districts in Nagaland are roasted live, ground and served, from farm to cup. On a typical day, the cafe gets about a hundred customers, sipping on coffee, with smoke breaks in between. Those numbers aren't big – but they're a start. For decades, an armed rebellion seeking the secession of Nagaland from India dominated the state's political and economic landscape. Thousands have been killed in clashes between security forces and armed rebels in Nagaland since India's independence, soon after which Naga separatists held a plebiscite in which nearly all votes were cast in favour of separating from the Indian union. India has never accepted that vote. The state's economy has depended on agriculture, with paddy, fruits like bananas and oranges and green leafy vegetables like mustard leaves, the main crops grown traditionally. Now, a growing band of cafes, roasteries and farms across the state are looking to give Nagaland a new identity by promoting locally grown Arabica and Robusta coffee. Juro Coffee House is among them. While coffee was first introduced to the state in 1981 by the Coffee Board of India, a body set up by the Indian government to promote coffee production, it only began to take off after 2014. Helped by government policy changes and pushed by a set of young entrepreneurs, Nagaland today has almost 250 coffee farms spread across 10,700 hectares (26,400 acres) of land in 11 districts. About 9,500 farmers are engaged in coffee cultivation, according to the state government. The small state bordering Myanmar today boasts of eight roastery units, besides homegrown cafes mushrooming in major cities like Dimapur and Kohima, and interior districts like Mokokchung and Mon. For Searon Yanthan, the founder of Juro Coffee House, the journey began with COVID-19, when the pandemic forced Naga youth studying or working in other parts of India or abroad to return home. But this became a blessing in disguise since they brought back value to the state, says Yanthan. 'My father used to say, those were the days when we used to export people,' he told Al Jazeera. 'Now it's time to export our products and ideas, not the people.' Like many kids his age, Yanthan left Nagaland for higher studies in 2010, first landing up in the southern city of Chennai for high school and then the northern state of Punjab for his undergraduate studies, before dropping out to study in Bangalore. 'I studied commerce but the only subject I was good in was entrepreneurship,' said the 30-year-old founder, dressed in a pair of smart formal cotton pants and a baby pink polo neck shirt. The pandemic hit just as he was about to graduate, and Yanthan left with no degree in hand. One day, he sneaked into a government vehicle from Dimapur during the COVID-19 lockdown – when only essential services like medical and government workers were allowed to move around – to return to his family farm estate, 112km (70 miles) from state capital Kohima, where his dad first started growing coffee in 2015. He ended up spending seven months at the farm during lockdown and realised that coffee farmers didn't know much about the quality of beans, which wasn't surprising considering coffee is not a household beverage among Nagas and other ethnic communities in India's northeast. Yanthan, who launched Lithanro Coffee, the parent company behind Juro, in 2021, started visiting other farms, working with farmers on improving coffee quality and maintaining plantations. Once his own processing unit was set up, he began hosting other coffee farmers, offering them a manually brewed cup of their own produce. Gradually, he built a relationship with 200 farmers from whom he sources beans today, besides the coffee grown on his farm. Yanthan sees coffee as an opportunity for Nagaland's youth to dream of economic prospects beyond jobs in the government — the only aspiration for millions of Naga families in a state where private-sector employment has historically been uncertain. 'Every village you go to, parents are working day and night in the farms to make his son or daughter get a government job,' Yanthan told Al Jazeera. Coffee, to him, could also serve as a vehicle to bring people together. 'In this industry, it's not only one person who can do this work, it has to be a community,' he said. So what changed in 2015? Coffee buyers and roasters are unanimous in crediting the state government's decision to hand over charge of coffee development to Nagaland's Land Resources Department (LRD) that year. The state department implements schemes sponsored by the federal government and the state government, including those promoting coffee. Unlike in the past, when Nagaland – part of a region that has historically had poor physical connectivity with the rest of India – also had no internet, coffee roasters, buyers and farmers could now build online links with the outside world. '[The] market was not like what it is today,' said Albert Ngullie, the director of the LRD. The LRD builds nurseries and provides free saplings to farmers, besides supporting farm maintenance. Unlike before, the government is also investing in the post-harvest process by supplying coffee pulpers to farmers, setting up washing stations and curing units in a few districts and recently, supporting entrepreneurs with roastery units. Among those to benefit is Lichan Humtsoe. He set up his company Ete (which means 'ours' in the Lotha Naga dialect) in 2016 after quitting his pen-pushing job in the LRD and was the first in the state to source, serve and supply Naga specialty coffee. Today, Ete runs its own cafes, roasteries and a coffee laboratory, researching the chemical properties of indigenous fruits as flavour notes. Ete also has a coffee school in Nagaland (and a campus in the neighbouring state of Manipur) with a dedicated curriculum and training facilities to foster the next generation of coffee professionals. Humtsoe said the past decade has shown that the private sector and government in Nagaland have complemented each other in promoting coffee. Nagaland's growing coffee story also coincides with an overall increase in India's exports of coffee beans. In 2024, India's coffee exports surpassed $1bn for the first time, with production doubling compared with 2020-21. While more than 70 percent of India's coffee comes from the southern state of Karnataka, the Coffee Board has been trying to expand cultivation in the Northeast. Building a coffee culture in Nagaland is no easy feat, given that decades of unrest left the state in want of infrastructure and almost completely reliant on federal funding. Growing up in the 1990s, when military operations against alleged armed groups were frequent and security forces would often barge into homes, day or night, Humtsoe wanted nothing to do with India. At one point, he stopped speaking Nagamese – a bridge dialect among the state's 16 tribes and a creole version of the Indian language, Assamese. But he grew disillusioned with the political solution rooted in separatism that armed groups were seeking. And the irony of the state's dependence on funds from New Delhi hit the now 39-year-old. Coffee became his own path to self-determination. 'From 2016 onwards, I was more of, 'How can I inspire India?'' Ngullie of the LRD insists that the coffee revolution brewing in Nagaland is also helping the state preserve its forests. 'We don't do land clearing,' he said, in essence suggesting that coffee was helping the state's agriculture transition from the traditional slash-and-burn techniques to agroforestry. The LRD buys seed varieties from the Coffee Board for farmers, and growers make more money than before. Limakumzak Walling, a 40-year-old farmer, recalled how his late father was one of the first to grow Arabica coffee in 1981 on a two-acre farm on their ancestral land in Mokokchung district's Khar village. 'During my father's time, they used to cultivate it, but people didn't find the market,' he said. 'It was more of a burden than a bonus.' Before the Nagaland government took charge of coffee development, the Coffee Board would buy produce from farmers and sell it to buyers or auction it in their headquarters in Bengaluru, Karnataka. But the payments, said Walling, would be made in instalments over a year, sometimes two. Since he took over the farm, and the state department became the nodal agency, payments are not only higher but paid upfront with buyers directly procuring from the farmers. Still, profits aren't huge. Walling makes less than 200,000 rupees per annum (roughly $2,300) and like most farmers, is still engaged in jhum cultivation, the traditional slash-and-burn method of farming practised by Indigenous tribes in northeastern hills. With erratic weather patterns and decreasing soil fertility in recent decades, intensified land use in jhum cultivation has been known to lead to further environmental degradation and greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating climate change. 'Trees are drying up and so is the mountain spring water,' Walling told Al Jazeera, pointing at the evergreen woods where spring leaves were already wilting in March, well before the formal arrival of summer. 'Infestation is also a major issue and we don't use even organic fertilisers because we are scared of spoiling our land,' he added. And though the state government has set up some washing stations and curing units, many more are needed for these facilities to be accessible to all farmers, said Walling, for them to sustain coffee as a viable crop and secure better prices. 'Right now we don't know the quality. We just harvest it,' he said. Dipanjali Kemprai, a liaison officer who leads the Coffee Board of India operations in Nagaland, told Al Jazeera that the agency encourages farmers to grow coffee alongside horticultural crops like black pepper to supplement their income. 'But intercropping still hasn't fully taken off,' said Kemprai. Meanwhile, despite the state's efforts to promote sustainable agriculture, recent satellite data suggests that shifting cultivation, or jhum, may be rising again. Though it is the seventh-largest producer of coffee, India is far behind export-heavy countries like Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia and Italy. And while the Nagaland government maintains that exports have been steadily growing, entrepreneurs tell a different story. Vivito Yeptho, who co-owns Nagaland Coffee and became the state's first certified barista in 2018, said that their last export of 15 metric tonnes (MT) was in 2019, to South Africa. Still, there are other wins to boast of. In 2024, the state registered its highest-ever production at 48 MT, per state department officials. Yeptho said Nagaland Coffee alone supplies 40 cafes across India, of which 12 are in the Northeast region. And Naga coffee is already making waves internationally, winning silver at the Aurora International Taste Challenge in South Africa in 2022 and then gold in 2023. 'To aim for export, we need to be at least producing 80-100 MT every year,' Yeptho told Al Jazeera. But before aiming for mass production, entrepreneurs said they still have a long way to go in improving the quality of beans and their post-harvest processing. With a washing mill and a curing unit in his farm, where he grows both Arabica and Robusta varieties, Yanthan's Lithanro brand is the only farm-to-cup institution in the state. He believes farmers need to focus on better maintenance of their plantations, to begin with. 'Even today, the attitude is that the plants don't need to be tended to during the summers and monsoon season before harvest (which starts by November),' Yanthan told Al Jazeera. 'But the trees need to be constantly pruned to keep them within a certain height, weeding has to be done and the stems need to be maintained as well.' Even as these challenges ground Naga farmers and entrepreneurs in reality, their dreams are soaring. Humtsoe hopes for speciality coffee from Nagaland to soon be GI tagged, like varieties from Coorg, Chikmagalur, Araku Valley and Wayanad in southern India. He wants good coffee from India to be associated with Nagas, not just Nagaland, he said. 'People of the land must become the brand'.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cuts in produce vouchers to affect low-income seniors
LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— Thousands of seniors statewide will soon be feeling the effects of federal budget cuts. This time the cuts take aim at a program that helps low-income seniors get fresh produce. Each summer, the senior farmers market nutrition program helps thousands of low-income seniors across the state. Lackawanna County rating drops one point above junk bond But cuts to the program are limiting the number of vouchers the program can give out. In Lackawanna County alone, 38,000 farmers market vouchers were requested by the county's agency on aging, the agency in charge of distributing them. But because of cuts to federal spending, they'll only be getting around 29,000. 'It really helps in your savings, but you want to help the farmer more-so than anything else,' said Denise Mehl, Scranton. Under the State Department of Agriculture program, residents over 60 who fall within the program's income requirements are eligible to receive up to five $5 vouchers each to spend at local farmers markets. Denise Mehl visits the Scranton farmers market regularly, and while not crucial to her budget, she says the vouchers help a lot. More than anything though, she worries about the farmers, about 1,000 farms participate in the program state-wide. 'If we didn't have them we wouldn't have anything,' voiced Mehl. According to the state department of agriculture, residents in Lackawanna County used these vouchers at a higher rate than any other county last year, over 90% of them were redeemed. 'It hurts people. It hurts the people that we serve here in Lackawanna County, those who need the help the most, and I just think that is really inhumane that they've done this,' expressed Bill Gaughan, county commissioner, Lackawanna County. State officials say the Trump administration has only released part of the funding congress approved, forcing agencies to slash their distribution by more than 25%. We reached out to GOP Congressman Rob Bresnahan for comment on the issue. He responded in-part: 'The recent decision to reduce benefits for the farmers market vouchers for seniors program was made at the state level. While I do not control those decisions, I am actively working at the federal level on a bipartisan bill to expand local food purchasing from our farmers to support those most in need. I look forward to announcing that legislation in the coming weeks.' Rep. Bresnahan Bresnahan says he and his team will be in contact with the Lackawanna County Agency on Aging to help ensure they receive the full funding and support they need for the program. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
4 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Drought monitor in Colorado shows improvement for Front Range, but many parts of state haven't had as much rain
Thursday's drought monitor in Colorado shows improvement for the Front Range, but many parts of the state haven't had as much rain, and drought conditions in those places continues to be a problem. Areas to the northeast and to the west and southwest in the state have had far less moisture.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
10 best local vegetable farms & fruit farms to buy fresh crops
A fruit farm is where fruits such as strawberries are grown for food. These farms often cultivate plants such as trees or vines and can range from larger commercial orchards to smaller family-run operations. Some farms also sell vegetables such as spinach and lettuce. Check out our list of the 10 best fruit farms in Singapore to buy fresh vegetables from. At The Local Farm, they go by this simple mantra: no farmers, no food. This is why the farm believes in the importance of bringing vegetable farms in Singapore closer to people. Enjoy an authentic farm-to-fork experience at Bistro by GA, nestled in the countryside of the bustling city. With many of their raw ingredients procured from The Local Farm, their scrumptious farm-fresh dishes are one way through which the farm supports local farmers. A must-try appetiser is their Nicoise Salad (S$18), made up of farm-fresh eggs, iceberg lettuce, tuna chunks, black and green olives, cherry tomatoes and onion strips, served with thousand island dressing. Complete your salad with a Seafood Platter (S$22), a medley of pan-grilled prawns, scallops, sashimi-grade squid and sea bass fillet with chilli and basil. Their Grilled Rib Eye With Red Wine Sauce (S$35) comprises perfectly grilled rib eye steak served with blanched greens and mashed potatoes, paired with intoxicating red wine. 240 Neo Tiew Crescent, Singapore 718898 +65 6898 9111 Wed & Thu: 10.30am – 4.45pm Fri & Sat: 10.30am – 9.45pm Sun: 10am – 4.45pm Closed on Mon & Tue Facebook | Instagram | Website SG Veg Farms is one of the first and only semi-automated urban farms on the rooftops of HDB multi-storey car parks in Singapore. They focus on bringing farms closer to consumers by shortening food miles, as well as ensuring fresh and delicious crops for the community. Their Coriander (S$1.65) (above, left) is a must-have herb for any kitchen. Its green leaves and delicate stems bring a refreshing, lemony note to salads, soups, curries and salsas. It is ideal for adding a burst of freshness and enhancing the taste of your dishes. Nai Bai (S$2.98) (above, right), also known as Baby Bok Choy, is a tender vegetable with a mild, sweet flavour. Its small, spoon-shaped dark green leaves and white crunchy stems make it perfect for stir-fries, steaming or adding to soups. It is not only yummy but is also packed with vitamins and nutrients, making it a healthy and versatile addition to any meal. Admiralty Drive, Block 354 (Multi-Storey Car Park), #05, K1, 750354 +65 8875 0006 8am – 11.30am & 2pm – 6pm (Daily) Facebook | Instagram | Website Kin Yan Agrotech is a pesticide-free, sustainable farm that cultivates crops, including wheat grass, aloe vera, and more. They also focus on reducing their carbon footprint by manufacturing on-site. Moreover, the vegetable farm offers educational tours and activities. Delicate and mild, their Golden Spring Mushrooms have a velvety texture and are high in protein and amino acids. The mushrooms can be chopped, sliced, quartered, minced or pureed. The longer the cooking duration, the firmer the golden spring mushrooms become. Their Pea Sprouts are known for their high nutritional value and their unique, fresh taste. They are a good source of vitamins A and C, protein and fibre. Pea sprouts are also easy to grow and can thrive in small areas, making them a popular option for many home gardens. 220 Neo Tiew Crescent, Singapore 718830 +65 6794 8368 9am – 5pm (Daily) Facebook | Instagram | Website Edible Garden City is a local social enterprise that champions the Grow-Our-Own-Food movement in cities around the world to improve food security and resilience, starting locally with Singapore. Their food production wing was previously known as Citizen Farm. Their farmers grow premium, pesticide-free produce, specialising in micro-greens (above, right), fragrant herbs and vibrant edible flowers. These have been supplied to more than 220 establishments across Singapore, from cafes to Michelin-starred restaurants. All their crops are grown at their headquarters in Queenstown and their rooftop farm at Funan Mall. Micro-greens, the young seedlings of edible vegetables, which you can purchase from the vegetable farm include celery, coriander, basil, lemon balm and mustard frills. These are packed in cardboard cartons with up to 4 or 8 punnets, each measuring 12cm by 12cm. 60 Jalan Penjara, Singapore 149375 Facebook | Instagram | Website Nosh Produce is a Singapore-based urban farm that harvests fresh, locally grown edible flowers and micro-greens. They grow the crops indoors, allowing for year-round harvesting. Bring your dishes to the next level with their Chef's Selection Starter Pack (S$50) (above, left) that contains 1 x Mixed Edible Flowers Bloom Box, 1 x Viola Bloom Box, 1 x Nasturtium Herb Box, 1 x Red Vein Sorrel Herb Box, 1 x Micro Pea Tendril and 1 x Micro Green Shiso. Varieties will be replaced if they do not have any of the above herbs available. Harvested and sent to your doorstep within the same day, brighten up your meals with the Edible Flowers Mix Bloom Box (S$16) (above, right) that injects extra bursts of colour. 11 Chencharu Link, Singapore 768145 +65 9011 0151 (WhatsApp) Mon to Fri: 9am – 6pm Closed on Sat & Sun Facebook | Instagram | Website Why Japanese fruits are the perfect family-friendly treats for children Yili Farm is a family-run business founded in 1996 by Mr Toh. Mr Toh's passion for vegetable farming helped Yili to become one of Singapore's leading vegetable farms. Produce sold include Premium Fresh Wheatgrass (S$2.90) (above, left) packed with vitamins (A, C, E, K), minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium), amino acids and chlorophyll. They also sell Green Kale (S$5) (above, right), a super food that is celebrated for its high concentration of nutrients. It contains Vitamin A (promotes eye and bone health), Vitamin C (aids in chronic disease prevention) and Vitamin K (for blood clotting and bone-building). 1 Neo Tiew Lane 2, Singapore 719881 +65 6684 0600 (WhatsApp) 9am – 5pm (Daily) Facebook | Instagram | Website Bollywood Farms has a reputation for being an all-in-one farm that nurtures vegetables, teaches and cooks. Ms Ivy Singh-Lim and her husband, Lim Ho Seng, founded the farm in 2000. Since then, it has become a hub for farming, education and community engagement. The vegetable farm in Singapore has its own farm, the Poison Ivy Bistro that takes farm-to-table food back to Earth with its delicious, wholesome cooking style at affordable prices. They use their fresh produce for products such as banana cake, tapioca and sweet potato, sambal and kaya. Their a-la carte menu is seasonal and they change their menu often to bring you your favourite food. If you are planning a day in the countryside with a group of 20 people or more, their cuisine curator can create a memorable dining experience for you. 100 Neo Tiew Road, Singapore 719026 +65 6898 5001 Wed to Fri: 10am – 3pm Sat & Sun: 7am – 6pm Facebook | Instagram | Website The Sundowner Nature Experience Centre is a rooftop farm above the bustling cafes of the Siglap restaurant belt. The farm's founders, who chanced upon a shophouse, decided to convert what was a bare concrete space on top of it into a nature-centric social sanctuary. The farm's Rooftop Farm Experience (every Sat from 5pm to 7pm, S$115/Adult & S$85/Child) is their award-winning flagship tour experience and also one of their most popular. Ascend their retro spiral staircase and learn about organic gardening. Don a bee suit, feed honeybees, and end your day by sampling honey and downing sunset cocktails. If you are addicted to your smartphone, get off your screen and study insects up close in a session called Bees! Ants! Worms! (every Sat from 4.30pm to 6.30pm, S$85/Adult and S$65/Child). There will be lots of photo moments and hands-on activities. This is a lower-priced alternative to the former tour and is a favourite among students and families. 705A East Coast Road, No. 705, Singapore 459062 +65 9249 5400 Daily: 24 hours Facebook | Instagram | Website Green Harvest produces top-quality vegetables grown in a sustainable and chemical-free environment. They delivered fresh harvested vegetables to customers within 24 hours and the company strives to fosters a safe and quality work environment for all their employees. The produce they sell includes the Chinese Endives (above, left), a leafy vegetable with a distinct bitter taste and potential health benefits. Its unique flavour, versatility in cooking, and nutritional value make it a special ingredient in Asian cuisine. It is a good source of vitamins and minerals, and its bitterness is linked to compounds that help with digestion. They also stock the Japanese Tang Ho (above, right), a variation of the chrysanthemum greens. A good source of nutrients such as B-carotene and antioxidants, the vegetable is a popular ingredient in Japanese cuisine, especially in soups, steamboat and stir fried meals. 8 Neo Tiew Harvest Lane, Singapore 718779 +65 6235 6885 Daily: 24 hours Facebook | Instagram | Website ComCrop is Singapore's urban farming pioneer. They grow food on rooftops near where communities live by reinvigorating marginalised spaces and embracing underprivileged workforces to grow and harvest the highest quality pesticide-free produce in Singapore. Their Signature Fresh Pesto (S$5/bottle), which contains fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil with roasted pine nuts, garlic and sea salt for enhanced flavour, is grown and harvested locally. It is made from their hydroponically grown pesticide-free Basil and hand-picked by Comcrop's staff. Then, the kitchens at the social enterprise Pope Jai Thai blend the sauce. The farm keeps pesky bugs and pests off its greens by growing them inside its rooftop greenhouse. They also do not use any pesticides and herbicides to keep your food safe. They grow their vegetables using advanced hydroponic technology that uses 90 percent less water than traditional farming, which makes them more environmentally sustainable. 15 Woodlands Loop, Rooftop Greenhouse Farm, Singapore 738322 Mon to Fri: 8.30am – 4pm Sat: 9am – 12.30pm Closed on Sun Facebook | Instagram | Website Xian Jin Mixed Vegetable Rice: All dishes at $2 for the past 19 years, never-ending queues The post 10 best local vegetable farms & fruit farms to buy fresh crops appeared first on
